Destination Spa Vacations with Michelle

Dietitians are THE nutrition experts

March is National Nutrition Month and today (March 10) is Registered Dietitian Day!

Who is a Registered Dietitian (RD)?
Registered dietitians are food and nutrition experts, translating the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. In other words, registered dietitians know the science of nutrition. They have degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health or a related field from well-respected, accredited colleges and universities. RDs must also complete a supervised examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and earn professional education credits to maintain registration.

Note - a Nutritionist does not mean the same thing as a Registered Dietitian. If someone claims to be a nutritionist, you should ask if they are also a registered dietitian. To read a funny article about "Eddie the nutritionist" (an 8 year old cocker spaniel), visit http://eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/media_16217_ENU_HTML.htm

What can an RD do for you?
When you need food and nutrition information based on facts or need to know how a healthy diet improves health and fights disease — rely on qualified professionals in the field. Registered dietitians draw on their experience to develop a personalized nutrition plan for individuals of all ages. They are able to separate facts from fads and translate nutritional science into information you can use. A registered dietitian can put you on the path to lowering weight, eating healthfully and reducing your risk of chronic disease. Top 10 Reasons Why Consulting with an RD Can Benefit You

Looking for a Registered Dietitian?
With approximately 65,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. When you need trusted, accurate, timely and practical nutrition advice, seek the services of a registered dietitian that belongs to ADA. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

There are several spas that employ registered dietitians, especially Destination Spas, where the entire environment is geared towards health and life enhancement. In fact, Canyon Ranch and Green Mountain at Fox Run have a team of dietitians available to work with guests, while others generally have one or two dietitians on staff. At the Destination Spas, dietitians conduct nutrition and wellness discussions, market tours, cooking demonstrations, and interactive classes for guests as well as individual private consultations.

Examples of classes include:
Stress Busters
Master Your Metabolism
On the Run – fitness and eating
Supermarket Savvy and Food Labeling
Eating in Restaurants
Managing Food Cravings
Realistic Resolutions
Designing a Personal Eating Plan
Cooking for Fun, Pleasure, and Health
Mindful Eating Series™
Body Image and Self-Acceptance
Organic Gardening

Individual consultations are generally 50 minutes, similar in length and price to most spa treatments. The sessions are designed to provide guest’s with practical, customized, science-based advice about food, nutrition, and eating so that they can implement strategies when they return home. In a private session, dietitians will ask personal health and lifestyle questions to assess the guest’s needs and preferences and proceed to recommend an individualized eating plan.

Celebrate National Nutrition Month and schedule a session with a registered dietitian - at home or at the spa!

Earth Day Lessons from Destination Spa vacations

Did anyone notice, the extreme amount of media coverage that Earth Day received this year compared to past years? Do we have An Inconvenient Truth to thank? Is the media jumping on the bandwagon? Frankly, it doesn’t matter. It is great to see more coverage, awareness, and most importantly more action related to taking care of earth!

Almost every media outlet covered Earth Day and offered tips for taking better care of our environment. Some of the tips and ideas require a large investment (e.g. hybrid vehicle or energy efficient appliances) and aren’t feasible for everyone at this time. When the time comes to replace these large ticket items, commit to making a green change.

While not a large ticket item, I have been following this same principle for light bulbs. Any time one goes out, I replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb. According to www.earthday.net this can have a huge impact. If every household in the U.S. replaced a burned-out bulb with an energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb, it would prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that from nearly 800,000 cars. It would also save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes for a year. Did the light bulb just go on for you ?

There are many other simple and effective strategies we can all start with TODAY. Take a cue from Destination Spa vacations and make a difference with these green ideas:

1. Use your canvas bags. Tote your bags with you when you go shopping to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic or paper bags. Chances are you have a bag from your last Destination Spa vacation or professional conference that you attended or a backpack that you use for picnics or hiking. Put it to good use next time you hit the grocery store, farmer’s market, or department store and say no to the store bags.
2. Drink from your water bottle. Using a refillable water bottle versus buying bottled water can have a big impact. It is a simple equation -- less packaging translates into less energy which is better for the environment.
3. Exercise outdoors.There are so many reasons to enjoy outdoor fitness activities – fresh air, scenery, free, and interaction with nature to name a few. And, it doesn’t require all of the motorized fitness equipment of a gym, the energy to operate a business, or your gas to get there.
4. Eat seasonally and locally produced foods whenever possible. Not only will the food taste fresher and be full of nutrients, but it will also be better for Mother Earth. The less the food has to travel, the less carbon dioxide from the trucks that ship it. Plus it will probably save you money.
5. When traveling, re-use the towels & sheets. Typical hotels use 218 gallons of water per day per occupied room. In addition to the large amounts of water used, excessive use of laundry detergents and other cleaning chemicals pose dangers to the environment and to the housekeeping staff. Many hotels will not replace your towels if you leave them hanging up neatly; if you're not sure, write a note for the housekeeping staff or notify the front desk.

We want to hear from you. Do you have some easy ideas or tips to share ?

Heart Health for Women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is widespread in the United States. My family is no exception. When I was just six years old, my father passed away at the age of 44 from a massive heart-attack.

Since then, health heart has been a life-long priority for our family. We live healthy lifestyles and try to stay informed on the latest recommendations and advancements. So last week when The American Heart Association revealed The 2007 Guidelines for Preventing Cardiovascular Disease in Women, I researched the information with great interest. 

Basically, the new guidelines include expanded recommendations on lifestyle factors such as physical activity, nutrition and smoking cessation, as well as more in-depth recommendations on drug treatments for blood pressure and cholesterol control.  Furthermore, guidelines on hormone and aspirin therapy and antioxidant and folic acid supplements are revised based on recently published data.

Highlights of the changes include:

• Recommended lifestyle changes to help manage blood pressure include weight control, increased physical activity, alcohol moderation, sodium restriction, and an emphasis on eating fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
• Besides advising women to quit smoking, the 2007 guidelines recommend counseling, nicotine replacement or other forms of smoking cessation therapy.
• Physical activity recommendations for women who need to lose weight or sustain weight loss have been added – minimum of 60–90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (e.g., brisk walking) on most, and preferably all, days of the week.
• The guidelines now encourage all women to reduce saturated fats intake to less than 7 percent of calories if possible.
• Specific guidance on omega-3 fatty acid intake and supplementation recommends eating oily fish at least twice a week, and consider taking a capsule supplement of 850–1000 mg of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in women with heart disease, two to four grams for women with high triglycerides.
• Hormone replacement therapy and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are not recommended to prevent heart disease in women.
• Antioxidant supplements (such as vitamin E, C and beta-carotene) should not be used for primary or secondary prevention of CVD.
• Folic acid should not be used to prevent CVD – a change from the 2004 guidelines that did recommend it be considered for use in certain high-risk women.
• Routine low dose aspirin therapy may be considered in women age 65 or older regardless of CVD risk status, if benefits are likely to outweigh other risks.   (Previous guidelines did not recommend aspirin in lower risk or healthy women.)
• The upper dosage of aspirin for high-risk women increases to 325 mg per day rather than 162 mg.   This brings the women’s guidelines up to date with other recently published guidelines.
• Consider reducing LDL cholesterol to less than 70 mg/dL in very high-risk women with heart disease (which may require a combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs).

Based on the recommendations, I’m doing fairly well at loving my heart. How did you do?

Destination Spas offer a wealth of heart-healthy programs and are a great way to jump-start your healthy lifestyle. Green Valley Spa, Canyon Ranch in Tucson, and Canyon Ranch in Lenox have medical doctors on staff and several of the Destination Spas have registered dietitians who can help devise a plan for home. Visit www.destinationspas.com or call 888-772-4363 to decide which spa is best for you. 

Nutrition Month – Fad Free!

Diet fads come and go, and some may help you lose weight – in the short term. For National Nutrition Month® 2007, the American Dietetic Association says the most effective long-term way to achieve a healthful lifestyle is to be 100% Fad Free. The real key to reaching long-term goals is to focus on your overall health.

The ADA’s website features several tools and strategies for visitors to “Be 100% Fad Free”, including these mouth-watering recipes: Classic Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Custard, and Jamaican Jerk Ranch Steaks and Chipotle Island Relish. One fun piece of information is the Fad-Diet Timeline. Read, enjoy a few laughs, and resolve to be Fad Free!

FAD DIET TIMELINE

1820 Vinegar and Water Diet

1825 Low Carbohydrate Diet

1830 Graham’s Diet

1863 Banting’s Low Carbohydrate Diet

1903 Horace Fletcher promotes “Fletcherizing”

1917 Calorie Counting

1925 Cigarette Diet

1928 Inuit Meat-and-Fat Diet

1930 Hay Diet  & Dr. Stoll’s Diet Aid

1934 Bananas and Skim Milk Diet

1950 Cabbage Soup Diet & Grapefruit Diet/Hollywood Diet

1960 Zen Macrobiotic Diet

1961 Calories Don’t Count Diet

1964 Drinking Man’s Diet

1970 Sleeping Beauty Diet  & Liquid Protein Diets

1981 Beverly Hills Diet

1985 Fit for Life & Caveman Diet

1986 Rotation Diet

1987 Scarsdale Diet

1990 Cabbage Soup Diet

1994 High Protein, Low Carb Diet

1995 Sugar Busters — Cut Sugar to Trim Fat

1996 Eat Right for Your Type

1999 Juice, Fasting and Detoxification

2000 Raw Foods Diet

2001 High Protein, Low Carb Diet (1994 diet updated)

2004 Coconut Diet

2005 Cheater’s Diet

2006 Maple Syrup Diet

2007 ?

With approximately 65,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

Destination Spas are focused on providing guests with fad free diet information and several employ Registered Dietitians. Green Mountain at Fox Run was founded by a Registered Dietitian and has  promoted a non-diet approach to weight management since opening its doors in 1973. Golden Door, Lake Austin Spa Resort, Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Canyon Ranch in Lenox, The Heartland Spa, The Hills Health Ranch, and Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat employ RDs and thus offer nutrition counseling sessions, group nutrition discussions and seminars, cooking classes and shopping excursions to help you be 100% Fad Free!!

Sleep - It's All We Want (& Need) for Christmas

Warning - I am trying to put you to sleep with this story....

Sleep has been the "hot topic"of the week; it seems like every magazine and newspaper is writing about it and it is the discussion of the moment at holiday parties. And here I am blogging about it. Perhaps, it has something to do with the stress of the Holiday season and the significant toll it has on sleep. According to a survey published by The Gallup Organization, 76% of American adults reported losing sleep between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. In fact, about half of respondents (49%) reported losing 3 or more hours of sleep per week.

Of course, sleep loss is a common problem in America that transcends the holiday season.  Many Americans do not get the minimum (7 hours) amount of sleep they need on a regular basis. According to the National Sleep Foundation surveys, about one third (39%) of American adults report getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night on weeknights, half report sleep difficulty at least occasionally, and two-thirds report frequent sleep problems. This means the majority of Americans may be suffering from the deleterious health effects of sleep deprivation.

Fortunately there is a lot you can do to regain control over your sleep. Minor lifestyle and environment changes — such as preparing for sleep, following a sleep schedule, and making your bedroom conducive to sleep — can have a major impact.

Canyon Ranch Sleep Experts recommend a family sleep plan, so everyone gets a lot more rest, and a lot less stress.

1. Prioritize sleeping time. This may be the hardest step, with everyone's busy schedules to coordinate. However, acknowledging sleep time as an important part of everyone's day will enhance health, relationships and daily activities.
2. Set a routine: Your younger child’s bedtime might be 8 p.m. For your teenager, it's always 9:30 p.m. Lights out for mom and dad follows at 10 p.m. By keeping bedtime firmly set, you give your body a chance to regulate its sleep and figure out its normal, most efficient pattern.
3. No more caffeine. “Caffeine has a long half-life,” warns Dr. Eichling. “One-quarter of the caffeine in your morning cup of coffee will still be there at midnight.” Not only will you have a harder time getting to sleep, but your chances of waking too soon increase, even after the caffeine is out of your system. If you can't give up your coffee, limit yourself to one cup a day—and drink it before noon. Children are even more vulnerable to caffeine's effects, so try to cut out their intake altogether, or at least limit their sodas to one small drink at lunchtime.
4. Respect the sleeping habits of others. If dad works an early morning shift, turn down the television and speak quietly after he goes to bed. If sister gets cranky when woken before 7 a.m., keep her brother from raising a ruckus too early. Nurture respect for each other’s sleep needs, so everyone will be healthier, rested and ready for a good start on each day.

If I have not lulled you to sleep by now, here are some additional sleepy websites to surf:

National Sleep Foundation

American Academy of Sleep

Shuteye.com

Healthy Sleeping

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Disconnect to Reconnect

“The E-mail to Don’t List – before you hit send, check for violations”.  I came across this article yesterday by Gil Schwartz, a contributor for Men’s Health and found myself nodding my head and laughing out loud.  Very simply, the article encourages people to NOT use e-mail for things that you should be doing on a more personal level – be it by phone or in-person.  Most notably:

• Send thanks
• Complain
• Argue or Debate
• Converse
• Joke
• Sex
• Slang

I completely agree; these are great rules to follow. Use e-mail and technology to simplify your life and then step away from the computer and live life to its fullest! Especially this time of year. After all, the holidays are a time to get personal and connect with friends and families. Orlando Hidalgo, from Hosteria Las Quintas wrote a great article, "Disconnect to Reconnect", on this same subject a couple of years ago, that you can read at www.destinationspas.com