3 Year Anniversary!

It’s been 3 years since the blog was created! Woah does time fly by. We all had some great discussions on previous blog post over the past years and I want to make this year even better. I am asking for your feedback on topics that you would like to read about in the future. If you have any other recommendations that can improve the blog, I want to hear those too. I really appreciate all of my readers and want to make your experience on the site as interesting as possible. 

Leave a comment and use the poll below.

A Day That Will Never Be Forgotten

This is probably the most depressing blog topics that I have written about in two years. As many of you are aware, two explosives were detonated at the finish line during the Boston Marathon today 04/15/2013. I am not writing this blog to report the news and give you politics or the facts, however I am writing this to express my condolences to those that are no longer with us and those who are severely injured. All of our prayers and thoughts at LJay Health goes out to families of the victims, the Boston community, running family and the nation as a whole.

The Boston Marathon is like the Super Bowl for many runners and everyone works very hard to get there. Unfortunately the glory and victory was taken away from the athletes who ran the marathon today. Who would have ever thought that someone would intentionally plant explosive devices at a marathon, it definitely caught everyone off guard.

I have ran 5 marathons to date, 30 miles this past Sunday and running the Boston marathon was in my future. Considering the events that happened today, I am not really sure how I feel at this point in time. It is really a heart felt moment for myself and millions of other people. It is important that we not live in fear but to be very cautious in everything we do.

One thing that we can take away from this tragedy is to remember to cherish life and be there for one another. I want to leave you with a quote that I was inspired by especially after today.

Live, Love, and cherish Life. Make friends, memories, and plans. Your life is about you, but life is not about you. Fall in love. Love the fall and winter and spring and summer. Ski, skate, sing and dance. Smell the rain and the chocolate chip cookies. Take all the time you need, but don’t waste it. Catch the big one with your dad. Go on a trip with your mom. Love children, for you were once one. Learn from your elders, and one day you’ll have their wisdom. Seek the truth. Find it in yourself, others, and in your faith. Be patient and gentle. Most of all truly live.

Leave a comment and let me know how you are feeling even if its just to vent.

 

Marine Corps Marathon Fundraiser

Hi all,

I am very excited to be running the Marine Corps Marathon this year on October 27, 2013. As you may have heard registration day for this event was absolutely bananas. The marathon sold out in less than 2.5 hours with about 30,000 runners participating. Luckily this year I will be running with The Little Things for Cancer charity group which is awesome! We have roughly 25 members of the charity who will all be running the marathon and raising the awareness for this cause.

The Little Things for Cancer charity group provide funds for services for cancer patients and their caregivers. The Little Things differs from many other organizations in that they offer support to people affected by all types of cancer, not just one specific type.

I am on a mission to raise $1500 if not more for the charity group. I am asking all of my support group, family, and friends etc to help me in raising funds for such a great cause and charity organization. I have included a link below where all donations can be made. All of the proceeds will go directly to the charity.

http://www.ir4c.com/AthleteStory/ljay

 

Thanks for all of your support over the years!

Sincerely,

LJay Health!

LA Marathon Weekend

The LA Marathon on 03/17/2013 makes my 4th marathon. I expected to finish in 3:45:00 however I was not expecting all the hills in LA which slowed me down just a little. Almost 25,000 runners showed up for the event which is pretty awesome. My training for the marathon consisted of 3-4 runs a week with weight training on my off days. My eating was really good and I made sure to avoid anything that wasnt healthy. I can really tell a difference in my runs when I eat good and when I don’t. I flew across the country all the way from Florida to California. However, I met people who were from Australia, Europe and Africa in LA just to run the marathon.

 

The Course

The LA Marathon course was pretty eventful. We ran through all the major attractions such as the Dodger Stadium, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown LA and Santa Monica beach. If you haven’t ran the course before I highly recommend it but be sure to train for hills One thing that I also liked is that there was a huge support system from locals, family members and friends. About 90% of the race was filled with spectators cheering the runners on and handing out food and water. I think that all the cheering keeps the runners motivated! The weather was cool and overcast which made for an even better race.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any celebrities running the race but I heard some were in disguise. I did do a little site seeing at Huntington Beach, Santa Monica beach, Long Beach, Hollywood, Downtown LA, Rodeo Dr, and Marina Del Ray. My friends Jim, Sam and I took a tour with the TMZ show which was really fun. We spotted all the celebrity hang out spots, restaurants and gyms. Amanda from the TMZ show was our tour guide…I gotta tell you she is something else and very funny.

What’s Next for LJay? 

I am training for marathon #5 in Nashville on April 27,2013 and a 50K (31 miles) in May. People ask me all the time “Why do you keep running marathons?” To me, that is a very tough question to answer but deep down inside I do it because it makes me happy and I love running. Everyone has their thing that they enjoy like golfing, fishing, skiing, hiking etc…and mine is running!

What’s Next for you?? Comment and let us know…I look forward to it. 

More Natural Whole Foods

It’s always interesting to see the studies done on processed foods and how they compare to natural whole foods. In the photo above the watermelon aged as time went by representing that it is a natural food from the earth. On the flip side, the burger and fries did not age as time went by and as a matter of fact it looked exactly the same 180 days later.

When we eat processed foods like burger, fries, vending machine foods, cookies, chips, soda etc our bodies have a hard time processing the food as energy therefore stores the food as fat and toxins in the body.

Foods that are natural, whole and from nature like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and lean meats are better absorbed by the body and used as fuel for energy.

Why not look good from the inside out rather than from the outside in. Incorporating more natural food in the diet helps improve skin tone, eye sight, improve chronic diseases, and helps with sleep patterns.

I use to have bad skin before eating more natural foods and would be so focused on buying skin care products and going to see the dermatologist to apply chemicals to my skin. Nothing would really work, I saw a little improvement but didn’t get the results I wanted. When I started eating foods like spinach, broccoli, carrots, nuts, berries and fruits and drinking water I started to notice that my skin tone improved drastically. Blemishes were gone, oily skin reduced, and pimples didn’t appear anymore.

What kind of improvements have you noticed while eating whole foods?

Remember eat to live and not live to eat. Correct the issues starting from the inside out and make this a great year to improve your health!

Thanks for reading as always,

LJay Health

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and your families! This has been a fun and exciting year and I wanted to express that I am really happy to have all of you in my fitness and health community. It really means alot to know that I can and have inspired so many across the globe and can help people accomplish challenges they didn’t think were possible.

I made a post on 2013 goals and it was great to see that many of you have come so far and want to achieve so much in the future. Just know that you can accomplish anything you dedicate yourself to. Remember to have a positive support group, patience, and don’t let anyone hold you back. Its your life and you deserve it to yourself to live it to the best possible. Make 2013 your year and shoot for the **STARS**

Thanks again for supporting and promoting the blog! I appreciate every single comment posted even If for some reason I don’t respond. Truly means alot!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Sincerely,

LJAY HEALTH

Jax Bank Marathon

Completed the Jacksonville Bank marathon this past Sunday 12/16/2012 in Jacksonville, FL! It was a great race with a flat and shaded course. I used this race as a training run for the ING Miami marathon in 6 more weeks.

The day afterwards my body was sore and I was walking like tin man (very slow) but today feels awesome and I am back to normal.

I stopped more frequently for water during the race because the sun came out and drained everything out of me. But my time was still pretty good considering.

This makes for marathon number 2 and will be completing number 3 next month!

What are some of your 2013 goals? It can be nutritionally, physically or both. Please share!

Happy Thanksgiving!

On behalf of LJAY HEALTH, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for following and reading my blog. I am thankful to have all of you as a great support system and fitness family! Enjoy your feast, workouts, family etc!

Share with us, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

What’s Your Take On Supplements?

Multi vitamins, green tea, vitamin C, B vitamins, omega fish oils and the list goes on and on. You can walk into any health food store, or a vitamin shop and find shelves of nothing but dietary supplements. The picture above are my very own supplements that I take on a daily basis and have taken for years. Some other supplements you see there is alfalfa which helps to cleanse the liver, cinnamon that is a natural blood sugar stabilizer, and garlic which helps to improve cardiovascular functions.

Many people feel that supplements are a waste of money and have no true benefit but I believe otherwise through personal experience. Taking supplements in conjunction with nutritious meals have helped to improve my overall workout endurance, strength  and not to mention my handsome looks  If you do or don’t take supplements I would like to hear your feedback and take on it. Please share with your fitness family!

So why do people take supplements?

I personally take supplements to help ensure I am getting all of the nutrients my body need on a daily basis. It is also convenient for me to take the supplement rather than eating the food that carries the vitamin. Also being a vegetarian I have to make sure I am receiving adequate amounts of B vitamins, calcium and iron since these vitamins are found in meats.

Some people may also have the need to take supplements because their bodies lack the production of it. For example, someone may have a iron deficiency and therefore they need to take an iron supplement to make up for it.

What is the downside to taking supplements? 

Supplements should not be taking in place of eating natural foods. The bulk of our daily vitamins and minerals should come from real foods and not in the form of supplements. Supplements, especially depending on the kind can be expensive and may put a dent in your wallet after while. In my opinion, our health is definitely worth the investment and I believe we have an opportunity to prevent serious illnesses and diseases that might be faced later in life through intake of natural foods and supplements.

Digesting Supplements

When taking supplements try and take only 2-3 at one time and wait 1-2 hours before taking another one. The reason is that our bodies can only use a certain amount of nutrients at one time. The excess comes out through the urine and is generally darker than usual. Most supplements come in the form of a pill some small, medium and large depending on the type. Many supplements are now being made in powder form that can easily be blending or mixed in with water or a soft drink.

LJAY HEALTH TOP VITAMIN & SUPPLEMENT SHOPS

1.GNC 

2.Vitamin Shoppe

3.BodyBuilding.com

4.Nutri Shop 

5. Discount supplements.com

 

 

Eat the Pumpkin, Don’t Just Carve It

With Halloween just around the corner the stores are stocking up with Pumpkins for you to buy. Instead of carving the pumpkin for Halloween decoration it is also beneficial to eat it as well. Pumpkins are high in fiber, low in calories and fat and a good source of vitamins. Below are the many health benefits of eating pumpkin and pumpkin seed!

Benefits of Eating Pumpkin

Pumpkins Keep Eyesight Sharp

A cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains more than 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which aids vision, particularly in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Pumpkins Aid Weight Loss

Pumpkin is an often-overlooked source of fiber, but with three grams per one-cup serving and only 49 calories, it can keep you feeling full for longer on fewer calories.

Pumpkin Seeds Can Help Your Heart

Nuts and seeds, including those of pumpkins, are naturally rich in certain plant-based chemicals called phytosterols that have been shown in studies to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol

Pumpkins May Reduce Cancer Risk

Like their orange comrades the sweet potato, the carrot and the butternut squash (to name a few), pumpkins boast the antioxidant beta-carotene, which may play a role in cancer prevention, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Pumpkins Protect The Skin

The same free-radical-neutralizing powers of the carotenoids in pumpkin that may keep cancer cells at bay can also help keep the skin wrinkle-free, Health magazine reported.

Pumpkins Can Help After A Hard Workout

Ever heard of bananas being touted as nature’s energy bar? Turns out, a cup of cooked pumpkin has more of the refueling nutrient potassium, with 564 milligrams to a banana’s 422.A little extra potassium helps restore the body’s balance of electrolytes after a heavy workout and keeps muscles functioning at their best.

Additional Benefits 

Prevents Kidney Stones – Have 5 to 10 grams of pumpkin seeds every day. This stimulates the kidneys and prevents the formation of calcium oxalate stones.

Depression – Pumpkin flesh contains L-tryptophan, a chemical compound that triggers feelings of well-being and happiness. Having pumpkin as a part of your daily diet can keep your spirits high and prevent depression.

Diuretics – Pumpkins are natural diuretics. These help in flushing out the toxins and unwanted waste material from the body, leaving you refreshed and healthy.

Promotes Prostate Health

For you men over 50 helping carve pumpkins this Halloween, be sure to save those seeds.  Pumpkin seeds help promote a healthy prostate and minimize the issues such as urination problems due to an enlarged prostate.  Prostate problems are most common in men over fifty.

Better Bones

Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc and are a great natural resource for this much needed nutrition.  Low levels of zinc are one of the links to osteoporosis.

Arthritis Relief

In a recent study pumpkin seeds showed the same anti-inflammatory benefits as the non-steroid drug indomethacin.  The good news on these results is that the pumpkin seeds did not have the same negative effect of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in the lining of joints like the anti-inflammatory drug.