I'm leaving Zebra Technologies to pursue an exciting new job opportunity,  but that does mean I will no longer be teaching pilates here to our wonderful herd. We are working on figuring out what to do with our exercise classes, but I hope that they will continue in some reduced fashion. They have always been more than a workout class, they have been a bonding experience at our site, a way for employees to reach out and interact in a fun and healthy way across disiplines that we normally would never get. It has been an honor and a privliage to work with and teach all of you these many years, and I will miss you all. Pilates withdrawl is in my near future. I hope to pass this site off to someone so the healthy advice and sharing can continue, so goodbye and goodluck!

- Morgan Hooker

This article was found by Bill Schatz and is posted on The Active Times.com site. It highlights 6 common but ultimatly injury prone or useless exercises that people commonly do, and the suggest a better version that targets the same area better and safely. Check out this great article HERE! Make sure you open it with mozzilla for a better user experience ;)

As a recently turned Pescetarian (a vegetarian who will eat fish), I look at health foods a new way. Not only am I know looking for fresh and clean ingredients,  but I am always looking for ones that give me enough energy to help me keep up with my very active lifestyle. I just assumed most substitutes veggies used where wholesome and good for you, but not the case when it came to soy! Food Renegade had an article talking all about the many many dangers of processed soy. Apparently, the food industry spend a lot of time and money pulling the shade over the public's eyes on the many dangers of the type of soy and the amount of soy Americans can safely consume. There are 4 major ingredients in soy that when processed and ate in high amounts can have some serious side effects over time. There is Phytoestrogens, which is basically the a huge dose of hormones. An infant taking soy formula is consuming the equivalent of 4 birth control pills each day, which is crazy. Next there's Goitrogenic, which destroys your thyroid by preventing it from getting iodine. When this happens, you gain weight, have mood regulation problems, get cold easily, can't concentrate, and get fatigued easily.... for starters. Then there's Phytates which block mineral absorption in the digestive tract. And last is Trypsin Inhibitors which stop an enzyme we need to properly digest protein. That last one can also lead to pancreas problems. There is even a whole book on the dangers of soy with studies and facts called The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla T Daniel, PhD. Check out the article for more information of the dangers of soy at www.foodrenegade.com

Article two was a tough read as a milk lover, but after reading it, I'm a convert! What is skim and low fat milk exactly? I've been drinking fat free milk my whole life thinking I was drinking the 'healthy stuff'. But if this recent voyage into healthy clean eating has taught me anything, its that when food companies take something out of a natural product, they normally take the good stuff out and put something bad in. Unfortunately this is the case with milk! Raw Milk used to be prized for it's creamy goodness, but when the whole don't eat fat craze came along, people started seeing that nutrient rich cream as the enemy. And milk companies capitalized on it in a very big way. They are now able to skim the best part of the milk off, the cream, and sell it separately in other products. Then they dilute the watery stuff that's left over, add some artificial ingredients, and call it healthy. My generation doesn't even know what real milk tastes like anymore, we are so brainwashed by the watered down sludge. The article on Thank Your Body.com talks all about the processing and lack of nutrition in the run off milk, as well as the benefits of drinking the real stuff now known as raw milk. Afraid of salmonella? Don't be. On the list of ways you can be poisoned be food its at the bottom. And it's an extremely low bottom. You are more likely to get food poisoning from everything else before you get sick from raw milk. Check out the article for all the deets on the benefits of making the switch, especially if you have small children. You want them to grow up with proper nutrition, switch them to raw milk early! There are two locations nearby where I can get my raw milk fix, Sprouts and Erewhon grocery stores. Both known for being extremely healthy eating spots. I'd say you can get it from your local farm too, but i have this pesky debilitating fear of cows that just won't go away....

There has been a lot of hype around clean eating and "heart healthy" foods. So I thought for the next few weeks I would post one article a week focusing on a popular healthy eating trend or myth... and dispelling it! The first one comes from www.thankyourbody.com and it reveals some truths about vegetable oils that made me cringe! It was all I could do to not run home and throw out my 'healthy margarine' and vegetable oil and replace them with coconut oil and real butter. The thing that scared me most though was the truth about the harsh and rancid chemical process used to create vegetable oil. They almost had to do a heart healthy propaganda marketing plan because if the mainstream public saw... no one would use it. The article also goes into details about which oils are safe to use and which to avoid completely. Though I think the big picture here is, if it is complicated to make or uses a bunch of chemicals to make, probably don't want to use it. Check out the article at www.thankyourbody.com/vegetable-oils/

Hi My Healthy Herd! And might I just say before we start this article... major props to the group that did boxing and cardio kickboxing with me at lunch today We sweat, we burned and some of us cursed! But it was a great workout and you all did a great job in what most consider one of our most demanding classes.

Today's article is brought to us by our instructor Melissa! She found this great article on www.takepart.com that tells you what some of your favorite treats will cost you in gym time. And while some of them are not too surprising, some made me feel the urge to hope on a treadmill and get started! Did you know a pumpkin spice latte is twice the calories and three times the sugar of a coke? Dang it starbucks, that's sneaky! Check out the article HERE.

Remember, Wednesdays are now permenantly Yoga Wednesdays!!! Come get your Om on!

I was chatting with my engineering team, and one of the guys asked Steve if he could tell what percent of daily sugar he was getting from his Yoplait yogurt? Innocent enough question, right? Steve looked at the label and while it said the number of grams of sugar, it didn't have a percent value, though every other ingredient did! Turns out sugar is the ingredient they don't report the daily percent on, and at 26 grams in that little, supposedly healthy, cup of yogurt it's no wonder. So what percent was it of Steve's daily sugar? The American Heart Association told us... and it was not pretty!

According to the AHA, men are allowed 9 teaspoons of sugar (37.5 grams) a day and woman are allowed 6 teaspoons (25 grams) a day! In one small meal, Steve had unknowingly consumed almost 70% of his daily sugar allowance. If a woman ate a Yoplait, she would be done for the day! In 2014, the average amount of sugar Americans were consuming a day was 19 teaspoons (76.7 grams) a day. And this is only forms of processed sugar, which is the kind that is bad for you. Check out the American Heart Association website for a list of all the hidden forms of sugar, some average food sugar amounts that you might not have expected, some information on the difference between processed and natural sugars and some quick and easy ways to change the way you eat to cut down your sugar intake right away!!! I know I saw a few new foods I will be avoiding!

What we are doing is all about combating the effects of sitting in a chair for 8++ hours a day, which is very stressfull on our backs, hamstrings and overall health. And while there are many ways to combat this, such as desk stretches, getting up and moving around at regular intervals, exersicing before, during or after work, a new and alternative way to try to beat back bad posture, back pain and strengthen your core is by trading out your regular office chair for a yoga chair, often known as a balance ball chair.

Here's how it works.... A balance ball chair force you to engage your core, aligne your spine and sit up straight.There are no arm rests to slouch on and your feet and legs naturally align correctly. Think of it as active sitting. Over time, your core and back muscles get stronger and stronger, which reduces back pain. Most sites come with a 60 and even 90 day money back guarentee, so if you hate it you can return it. My favorite parts, if you get bored and need a little movement you can bounce. And the ball comes off to do balance ball workouts with! With a price range of $69.99 to $149.99 depending on the brand, it's a pretty good investment in your health for something most people use as much as their mattress! I'm going for the Classic model on Gaiam.com to see how it feels so if you want to stop by in October and try it before you buy it come on by and take a sit!!!

Hey Fitness Friends!

The last two weeks we were concentrating on our Abs, lower/ mid back and overall core strenght with a series of fitness moves from a great sites I found in a workout magazine. It's called Fitness Blender! The Ab exercises have focused on strengthening our core with full body crunches and burning fast with interval training WITHOUT putting a lot of stress on our backs and necks! Sometimes that's hard to do with abs. But we have been working our tummys and sweating up a storm with these workouts, and while exausted, there is definetly some great energy afterward.... not a lot of talking though! ;)

Go to the Fitness Blender site however and you get much more than just core training. There are videos for short and dirty workouts, workout plans for targeted areas, long term plans for toning or losing weight over weeks, and even meal plans (including vegatarian versions!).  They have picture aids, videos and descriptions to make this as easy as possible, and YOU pic the level of difficulty. You can even pick what you want to work on and they will lead you to the workout to suit your needs. Pretty cool huh? I have been using the site to build a toning workout for my vacation that I can do during my vacation in my hotel room/ Amazon treehouse!

So if you need a boost to get you started on your exercise goals, or just want to mix up your current exercise plan, check out the fitness blender site for some great ideas and motivation. I highly recommend them! If there is an exercise you want to try in class, or didn't understand and want to learn, let one of your friendly instructors here know and we will help you out! Have a healthy day and I hope you enjoyed this review of Fitness Blender!

Dear Friends,

Support me on September 12th, 2014 for The Heroes Project annual cycling event - Cycle for Heroes - on the Santa Monica Pier.  I am raising money to improve the care and protection of our nation's heroes through individual support, community empowerment, and systematic change.  I will be riding for three hours with hundreds of participants and veterans gathering our voices and spirits in acknowledgment, support, and remembrance.

I hope that you will support our efforts by making a secure online donation at www.cycleforheroes.org or by mailing in a check to The Heroes Project. I encourage you to share this experience with your friends and family, it will be one unlike any other.

Thank you for your support,

David Fox

The Heroes Project

Tax ID# 27-1288926

www.theheroesproject.org

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