Shopping is My Cardio

This post is a bit different from my usual ones because I realized that daily life can’t always be so rigid and information based.  I love to venture out of my niche once in a while and provide you guys with something a bit different and more relatable. Confidence! If you have it, you can make anything look good Don’t forget I’m a person too, and so I often do a lot of fun activities, sometimes boring ones, sometimes I see friends all the time, and others not at all.  Life has always had a way to pull you away from being social because, let’s face it, working hard on a weekly basis for your career, your blog, your channels, your lives can be pretty exhausting. Some days you just want to do nothing, see no one, Netflix, and chill! And that’s okay! BUT on the days that I want to do a fun activity that I enjoy, and that will help me get my body moving and keep me active, shopping is the way to go! I recently posted a picture on my Instagram, and part of the caption was “shopping is my cardio.”  Believe it or not, it is! With Friends All The Time It’s not just about shopping! A lot of people think that because I go to the mall often it means I’m a shopaholic. I’m not lol.  Okay! Only sometimes and especially during Xmas! Anyway! I love the mall! It’s a great way to get out of the house, dress up, and be active.  Obviously, I have to wear comfy shoes; otherwise, I wouldn’t want to walk for hours, BUT I also make sure they match my outfit and are stylish.  For some reason, I’ve always enjoyed dressing up in different kinds of styles, and when I go to the mall, I love looking fashionable. I usually don’t even buy anything! Its just window shopping and trying on stuff for fun…sounds bad, I know, but it’s so true! Most of the time, I’ll go with friends and family. The mall has never been a place I’ve enjoyed going alone, unless I actually have an errand to run like a return or exchange something, or if its someone’s birthday and I HAVE TO GO ASAP. When I go with friends, it’s great, and I love it! We not only get to catch up on our daily drama, boy stories, family feuds, and obviously careers, we also get a chance to “work out” together.  Something that I don’t usually do with friends because at a gym, I plug in my headphones, and it’s like no one else exists.oops!There I go being a bit anti-social, but hey, I don’t go to the gym to play around! The mall lets me have my 45min or more of daily exercise. It’s usually mild to moderate intensity, and I get to chat with friends and get the social aspect of my life satisfied, But its not always mild and moderate exercise. Sometimes it’s like doing small high-intensity interval training sessions! How is shopping HIIT? Well! CHANGING ROOMS! How many of you have gone to the mall to find something specific, or even just to try things on for the new season? Yea, changing rooms for me are no joke.  I literally take almost the entire store with me, a huge mistake, but I do it all the time.  Then, I have to quickly change, walk around, and “model” the outfit for friends and family to get their opinion.  Then it’s back to the sauna-like room with the hot lights, which almost always make me break a sweat. But its not over! You are doing all these crazy movements as you put on and take off clothes, and then when you’re done, you shuffle over to the next store and do it all over again.  Mind you, if this were something you do maybe in one store, it wouldn’t be an issue, but sometimes I go on a small changing room hopping spree, and it’s exhausting!  My heart is racing, I’m hot, my arms start to feel it, and then you just want to sit and take a breather! Lol So for me, shopping and even window-shopping is my cardio! It’s where I can get a fun workout without actually intending to! And I can do it for hours! Recently, something new has been going around, too, especially at the malls in Broward County!  At sawgrass mills mall, early risers are getting together before it opens to the public to WALK!   The distance around the mall is 1.5 miles.  The mall now has a formal Mall Walking Club. Membership is free at Sawgrass Mills.  The mall even gives them breakfast in the food court, free! Other malls also have these walking clubs. Some have membership fees; others do not. Suppose you’re interested in joining some of these awesome fitness clubs centered at malls! I’ve found a list on the sun-sentinel and will be pasting it below! Regardless of what you think of malls and shopping, I’m glad people are going out there and staying active! So don’t be afraid to gather your friends, family and go crazy in the malls! WALKING CLUBS: Broward Mall in Plantation: No membership fee and includes weekly blood pressure checks! Coral Square in Coral Springs: Members pay a 1-time fee of $5, and it includes monthly health lectures at the Coral Springs Medical Center, incentive awards, T-shirt, and a newsletter. The Fashion Mall in Plantation: Free and also has blood pressure checks 2xweek. The Galleria in Ft. Lauderdale: Free! Hollywood Fashion Center in Hollywood: was in the process of starting its own club! To find out if they did Pompano Square in Pompano Beach: a 1-time fee of $7.50 and includes monthly meetings at the mall food court with guest speakers, incentive awards, and raffles. Members also get discount cards, T-shirts, a logbook, and a newsletter. Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise: free! You also get a logbook, weekly blood pressure checks, and incentive awards. OBVIOUSLY AND AS

An Iron Clad Diet

Last month, I posted a story about what I would be making for dinner. I made the “lame” excuse that I was going to make STEAK because I needed some Iron.. then, I laughed it off, telling all of you guys “to know better” because “you can get iron from a bunch of different things that are not the steak.” An Iron-Clad Diet ✓ A few of you messaged me and asked me what other foods were high in Iron, and because of that, I’ve decided to write this Iron-Clad Diet Post! Pun intended, ha! First of all, what is Iron, and why do we need it? First and foremost, it’s a mineral which our body needs! But why do we need it? Our red blood cells have a protein called hemoglobin, and at the center of it is Iron (Fe). Without Iron, we cannot make hemoglobin. Why is this bad? This protein helps our red blood cells carry oxygen from our lungs to our tissues.✓ (Heart, Kidneys, Liver, Intestines…MUSCLES!). Most of our Iron is found in hemoglobin, which is carried around by our red blood cells, another portion is stored for later use, and an even smaller proportion is held in myoglobin (a protein found in muscle).✓ If you’re low in Iron, you can have what’s called iron deficiency anemia.  It can present with: Fatigue, Exercise intolerance, Weakness, Even chest pain (because your heart NEEDS oxygen, So YES… We NEED Iron! But do we HAVE to get it from STEAK? Ummm…. NO! There are so many other things you can eat to get your Iron! It’s important to know, though, that there are two types of Iron.✓ Heme iron, which you find in red meat and fish.✓ 2 – Non-heme Iron, which you find in veggies, legumes, nuts, etc. Heme iron has higher bioavailability, meaning, more accessible for use. Whereas non-heme Iron, you’d need to eat more veggies, legumes, and nuts to reach the same level of Iron you would get from a steak or seafood. Another thing to know is that certain compounds present in cereals and legumes slow down the absorption of non-heme iron. In contrast, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), poultry, fish, and meat enhance the absorption of non-heme iron. These don’t pose any issues if you’re eating a balanced diet, including animal protein.  Those more likely to be affected are vegetarians and vegans, who eliminate animal proteins from their diet.✓ So let’s talk about how much Iron you “need” a day, and where you can find it! Recommended iron requirements are about 1.8 times higher in vegetarians.  Which is any long term vegetarians should consider iron supplements? On average, for an adult, the required iron intake per day is 8-11mg/day for males and 15-18mg/day for females, especially during their time of the month. These recommendations increase to a whopping 27mg per day if you’re pregnant. Hence prenatal vitamins containing Iron. Below is a list of the amount of Iron in certain foods: But you can always check out the NIH to see a bigger list. Breakfast cereals fortified with Iron have 18mg per serving.✓ Dark Chocolate 3 oz: 7mg per serving no wonder you crave chocolate during your time of the month? Maybe.✓ Oysters 3oz: 8mg per serving✓ Beef 150g: 4.9mg/serving✓ Pistachios 60g: 4mg/serving✓ Pork 150g: 3.9mg/serving✓ Lentils: 3mg per ½ cup✓ Spinach (boiled and drained): 3mg per ½ cup.✓ Kidney beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, potato: 2mg per serving✓ Milk has 0mg of Iron.✓ Breast milk has Iron, but not enough to meet the requirements of a 4-6month old infant.✓ Nuts, turkey, rice, chicken with skin, broccoli have about 1mg per serving.✓ The bottom line is: You can get Iron from other types of foods. Not all Iron is created equal.  Having a balanced diet and eating meat and seafood in moderation helps the absorption of Iron from legumes and veggies.  This is why I have mentioned many times in my stories that although I follow a predominantly vegan diet when I can, I will consume meat, seafood, and poultry. ✓ I do respect and appreciate those who follow full vegetarian diets and vegan diets for animal rights or religious or any other reason. Still, I do ask that you see your physician at least annually so that they can follow your health and especially iron levels so you can feel your best and keep living a healthy lifestyle!   And don’t miss out Benefits of Apple Cider Share: More Posts NewsLetter Recent Articles Discover More Articles