How do you get that mid day pick me up? We try coffee, tea, chocolate and other sweets only to be disappointed by the rapid crash about an hour later. To get that pick me up with sustained energy flow try a protein shake instead. Many protein shakes on the market have the added benefit of vitamins and minerals.

Our farm fresh strawberries are a great way to liven up your protein shake. Try blending them in or cutting them into chunks for a complete meal feeling. You can also experiment with bananas or other berries. By getting in the habit of an afternoon protein shake you will notice more energy, curbed appetite, improved mental clarity and overall calmer feeling.

From Hi5 Produce, we are excited to be ushering in the New Year with you. I saw a sign that said “adios 2009 don’t let the door hit you on the way out”. After I chuckled I shouted “yeah!”. 2010 promises to be a year when people set compelling goals for their health and re-evaluate what they value. No better time than now to find that fitness activity that you enjoy and commit to it. January is powerful because there is new beginning in the air and people are excited. It’s like my track coach would say, “you have to start off strong at the blocks because it sets your momentum”.

We began delivering fresh fruit 13 years ago to help people eat healthy on a consistent basis and that is why we still do it today. Our goal this 2010 is to continue to share our passion for health!! Because we know after 20 years in the healthy and fitness industry, owning a gym, speaking to audience, and coaching that success is more than just writing down a goal and signing up for a gym membership. Do you want to know the secret?? There is no secret! It just takes consistency. Consistently moving your body, making healthy eating choices, following your plan (even if it changes), reading books and magazines on health, and consistently eating your Hi5 fruit of course.

In these Hi5 Half Sheets and e-zines we will share what we have learned over the years from real people and introduce you some awesome health companies from the Bay Area.

Temptations will sabotage even the best intentions if we are not prepared. Let’s face it. Everywhere we turn we are tempted by fantastic foods that are convenient that are very unhealthy. When we are hungry and in a hurry, almost nothing can stop us from grabbing a candy bar or a fast food burger. We convince ourselves that it is fine this one time. It is true that just one won’t kill you but cumulatively and over time, it will make us tired, grumpy and fat. Illness and disease are not created by one French fry or one milk shake but rather a lifetime of nutrient poor foods. You get the point– junk food is just a destructive choice. The secret is to be prepared mentally by having a plan. Here are a few tips to help create a food temptation plan.

1) Keep unhealthy food out of reach in your home.

2) Keep a food journal to determine which tempting foods are your favorites and incorporate them into your diet.

3) Make a conscious decision to eat a cleansing meal and drink a lot of water later in the day.

4) Take a digestive enzyme with your meal to help with digestion.

5) Stay consistent on a high quality vitamin/ mineral/antioxidant supplement to keep the cells and immune system strong.

6) If you’ve made the choice to eat junk food– then go for it. No guilt. Simply start fresh the next day.

Fruit can be your secret weapon in curbing appetite, losing weight, healthy skin, and increasing energy. The benefits in fruit are numerous! Use fruit strategically in between meals to keep your energy level sustained and avoid starvation mode for the next meal. The phytonutrients in fruit help you think clearer and give you more energy. Did you know that the phytonutrients in fruit are also incredibly good for your complexion?

The high fiber and water in the fruit have proven to be the best weapon one can use in weight loss. Try to eat the skin whenever possible because it contains the highest fiber content. Fiber acts to help with digestion, cleaning internally, and make you feel fuller longer. The high water content helps the fiber do its job and replenishes the cellular fluid. Our bodies crave hydration and fruit is abundant in water.

So grab your apple or orange as a daily strategic plan to catapult your goal toward a healthy lifestyle.

This week I turn 40! Over the weekend a few family and friends gathered to celebrate and remind me that 40 is NOT over the hill. No black coffins or ‘over the hill’ signs. Instead my home looked like we were celebrating the 4th of July. I have been told that the 40’s are the best. The theme instead was “Fit, Fab & 40”. So here is my birthday wish to you:

1) Workout everyday because exercise is the fountain of youth.

2) Laugh more, play more, and don’t take everything so seriously.

3) Learn something valuable from the season of life that you are in right now because spring always follows the winter.

4) Eat to nourish the body because it’s the only one you have.

5) Live life passionately today because life really is short!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL YOU FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS!

I have heard it been said that if there was a fountain of youth it would be exercise. Exercise has so many physiological benefits that literally keep your body’s cells and organs stronger, more vibrant and functioning better. From your heart to your skin exercise bathes our body with nutrient rich blood that keeps us youthful. If you have not been physically active recently or suffer from a medical problem start slow and build gradually. Many people jump in and try to do too much too fast and end up hurting themselves or losing motivation. Create a program that starts gradual and builds. Include cardiovascular activity mixed with resistance training. The key is to be consistent! Do a little everyday with one day rest. The benefits will amaze you!!

Some benefits include: *Improves strength and balance *Improves protection from common injuries *Helps prevent or manage cardiovascular disease * Improves diabetes management *Prevents osteoporosis *Improves lung function *Improves mobility in arthritis sufferers

To make healthy lifestyle an enjoyable part of your life there are some very important principles to remember:

1) Exercise daily. Plan to do something physical everyday to train your body and mind to value movement. Someday that will be a trip to the gym and others a walk during lunch.

2) Don’t expect perfection. That is a recipe for discouragement which will mentally sabotage any good intention. Strive for progress not perfection.

3) Control your environment. Keep healthy foods around at all times. Remove all foods that are unhealthy because when your are hungry the temptation is too great.

4) Be a mindful eater. Plan to eat 5 small healthy meals per day to control your energy level and metabolism.

5) Finally never underestimate the power of STRESS. Stress is a major factor in all illness from the common cold to heart disease and cancer. A few great stress relievers are exercise, massage, fruits/vegetables, decreasing caffeine, vitamins/ minerals, deep breathing, and changing mental perspective.

Strive to keep your stress level low low low.

Ok, so it’s cold and flu season. What can you do to skate through it? There are so many proactive things one can do to prevent and then kill a virus. We are going to be constantly exposed to germs and viruses so your best defense is a strong immune system.

1) Take a good multi vitamin to ensure you are properly nourished. Add extra vitamin C this season for its immune boasting properties.

2) Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day to flush out any germs and keep everything running efficiently.

3) Stay away from SUGAR!! Sorry to give you bad news, but germs thrive on sugar. One study actually concluded that sugar decreases your immune system for up to 6 hours.

4) Take minced garlic as a preventative. At our home we chop it, put small amount on spoon, squeeze lemon juice and gulp like a shot. Crazy, but it works!!

The herb Echinacea is an immune boaster and great for prevention. You can take this in a tincture or pill form.

As soon as you feel the first signs of a cold add the herb Goldenseal to your regimen which is anti-viral and anti-bacterial.

It is no wonder that oranges become the dominant fruit of the fall and winter season to help fight colds and flu. Citrus are excellent sources of vitamin C, water and fiber. Keep your eye out for fantastic oranges coming up in your Hi5 basket.

On a recent trip to Hawaii, I had the most fascinating experience with a unique form of fitness called Gyrokinesis. I have explored many forms of exercise, but this one was very different. It is a blend of yoga, stretching, dance and pilates. It was a lot of fun, but more importantly I learned how valuable it is to keep the body fluid and mobile. We worked on moving each vertebrae, opening the scapula, and isometrically strengthening the core. It was a great class and I walked out feeling freer and two inches taller.

The body really does love movement. If you have never tried any form of fitness, visit a gym and experiment with some classes. Have fun with it and laugh if it seems silly. Allow your body to not be great at it at first. As you condition, you will get better and better. Try yoga, pilates, kickboxing, crossfit, swimming, yokefit, or simply begin walking during lunch. Don’t take your movement for granted because what we don’t use we really do lose in time. Begin now! Movement is not a New Year’s resolution it is a lifestyle!

At Hi5 Produce, we are all passionate about health and fitness.

Ask any of your Hi5 drivers for exercise tips.

Who’s thinking about dehydration in the cold weather? During the cold months, it just seems harder to hydrate and to remember to grab a glass of water. But if you suffer from dry and itchy skin, chapped lips, dry coughs, headaches, nosebleeds, unusual fatigue, and even acne you may be dehydrated. We often don’t realize it because we don’t feel thirsty or have the need for a cold refreshing water to cool us down. This is a very important time to drink plenty of water because the air is dryer and we tend to stay indoors where the heated air adds to the dryness. One of the biggest benefits to drinking plenty of water in the cold months is to prevent viruses from having a place to grow and get people sick! Yup– water is your best defense. Organisms that cause colds and flu, need the right environment to wreak havoc. A constant flow of water flushes them out and creates an environment that makes it difficult for the virus to live.

Ways to stay hydrated: Drink 8 glasses of water each day, enjoy herbal teas, and eat fruit.

Sorry, but beverages that are sugared don’t work. If you enjoy that warm cup of coffee (which is so comforting in the cold) just remember to drink 2 cups of water to each cup of coffee.

Bottoms Up And Enjoy!!!

Have you heard of instability training? The fitness industry is taking some fascinating turns. People are looking for exercise that is functional. Functional exercise means you condition your body to be stronger and more effective in our daily activities where we spend most of our time and injury often occurs. We want more than just cardio and muscle pump. We want strength, flexibility, stamina, healthy weight loss, physique, stronger backs and injury prevention. Tall order? Not really when you incorporate instability training for maximum muscle recruitment. Instability training allows you to strengthen your large muscle groups and small muscle groups at the same time thus maximizing its effectiveness. The benefits are amazing!!! If you have never experienced instability training visit a YokeFit class at TFL. Yoke Training System is something you have to experience to really grasp. Come by TFL in Morgan Hill for a free class. Tell them Dan Locsin sent you.

You will be my guest!

Working at a desk for several hours of the day has created some annoying problems. Often I hear complaints of back, sciatic, shoulder, and neck pain related to sitting too long. All these issues start as annoying discomforts, but eventually grow into much larger concerns. Here are a few tips to help correct or alleviate these problems.

1) Drink water - Believe it or not water will help keep the fascia tissue fluid thus more flexible.

2) Try sitting on a large physio ball at your desk to distribute muscular involvement.

3) Hamstring stretch – Find a few hamstring stretches on the internet or in a book that can be done at home and at work.. Tight hamstrings always lead to back pain and knee pain.

4) Stop each hour to deep breath, make circles with shoulders, swing arms and stretch legs. This can take as little as 2 minutes, but can save you hours of pain later.

5) Buy a tennis ball – My greatest secret!! At home lie on the floor and put the tennis ball under your back focusing on sore spots. Relax onto the ball similar to the thumbs of a deep tissue massage. Two tennis balls on each side of the spinal chord. You can also take the tennis ball to work and use it under your feet a few times a day like a foot reflexology massage.

Most importantly listen to your body. Those minor twinges are really there to protect you not to annoy you.

Strengthening the core has been the buz in the fitness industry for several years now; however there has been some confusion to what that includes. The core muscles are the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis that lie between the rib cage and the hips. These muscles are used to stabilize the spine and create a foundational support for almost all movement. This is important for everyone from older people to top athletes. When beginning a workout program always include daily core training. The best way to do that is to focus on contracting the transverse abdominus during each exercise. The transverse abdominus wraps around the front of the body like a corset. It is the muscle you feel when you cough or sneeze. Place your hand on your belly button and on exhale pull in your belly button back toward your spine. Clients at the TFL gym often make a ’hissing’ sound to ensure that they activate their transverse abdomius (TVA) during each exercise.

The key benefit to core strength is injury prevention. Imbalance exercises, pilates, and yokebar are excellent core training options.

Fresh fruit for the office break room can make a difference:

A diet high in fruits and vegetables is so widely encouraged toward healthy living. Why? And is the “why” worth the effort? Absolutely! The owners of Hi5 Produce wanted to help people eat healthy conveniently and consistently. Hi5 Produce focuses on fresh fruit at work and soon for your home!!

Benefits of fruit include:

1) Increased Fiber lead to better digestion
2) Increased Water means better hydration
3) Increased phytonutrients assists in disease prevention
4) Increased Energy equals increased productivity
5) Appetite suppressant equals greater weight loss … the benefits are numerous.

If you are a fitness enthusiast or simply looking for some form of exercise that is different and effective, I have something to introduce to you. The Hi5 Produce company is all about health and we want to introduce you to the type of training we all do. The staff at Hi5 Produce trains at TFL - Train for Life in Morgan Hill. It is not like an ordinary gym! We are all about exercising in a fun, effective and creative way that strengthens the core splashed with plenty of cardio.

One of our favorite classes is the Yokebar class on Monday 5:30pm (for women) and Thursday 5:30 for men and women. It is like nothing you have ever experienced in a full body workout!! Other great classes at TFL include Zumba, CrossFit, and Combat.

This summer get creative with your exercise by visiting TFL classes, go hiking, start ballroom dancing or go running on the beach. Simply get out and have FUN this summer!

Strengthening the core has been the buz in the fitness industry for several years now; however there has been some confusion to what that includes. The core muscles are the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis that lie between the rib cage and the hips. These muscles are used to stabilize the spine and create a foundational support for almost all movement. This is important for everyone from older people to top athletes. When beginning a workout program always include daily core training.

The best way to do that is to focus on contracting the transverse abdominus during each exercise. The transverse abdominus wraps around the front of the body like a corset. It is the muscle you feel when you cough or sneeze. Place your hand on your belly button and on exhale pull in your belly button back toward your spine. Clients at the TFL gym often make a ’hissing’ sound to ensure that they activate their transverse abdomius (TVA) during each exercise. The key benefit to core strength is injury prevention. Imbalance exercises,
pilates, and yokebar are excellent core training options...