I would say the answer to all three questions is NO!  As I have trained people over the last 18 years I am convinced that all of you really do want to change your exercise habits.  However, there are real life reasons why it does not happen and our busy lives are the number one reason.  Most folks are working so hard as a successful professional, busy as parents, or both that by the time you have taken care of everyone else there is no time left to take care of yourself.  Discipline is not the reason because I bet if you look at your life you see many areas in both your professional and personal life where you are very disciplined.  Finally, I know you care or you aren’t reading this article.

So … how can you make 2012 different???  Well here are three suggestions that I know work because I have personally seen 1000s of people apply these three tips and many have lost 20 – 100 pounds, blood pressure has improved, cholesterol levels have dropped, bodies are more functional, and people are eating more healthfully. 

1. Set Exercise Appointments with yourself.  Whether you are a busy professional, busy mother or both your day is filled with appointments with other people.  You certainly would not be disrespectful and miss a scheduled appointment.  Set exercise appointments with yourself and give yourself the respect you give others.  Don’t miss your appointment!  There are 168 hours in a week.  For 2012 you must make a commitment to set three one hour appointments with yourself per week… and keep them!  When life happens and you miss a scheduled appointment you must reschedule to maintain your training volume.  The training volume goal for the month is 12 training sessions.  Many people feel guilty for taking this personal time … but you must remember lots of people are depending on you.  Your health is the vehicle which allows you to continue caring for others, work hard, and enjoy life.  Make your exercise appointments a priority!
2. Set Specific, Realistic Measurable Goals.  For example … improving diet is fine as a general long term goal but this is not specific.  Analyze what has to be improved in the diet.  Maybe you are skipping breakfast causing a big dip in your metabolic rate.  Set a goal for January to eat a healthy breakfast three to four days a week and name the specific three to four days for example Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  A healthy breakfast includes one serving of a healthy complete protein, one serving whole grain, and one serving fruit or vegetable.  A simple breakfast of one slice whole grain bread with an all natural nut butter spread and an apple would be a healthy breakfast.  At the end of January build on your success and create a new specific, realistic and measurable goal.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY!!!  Accountability is essential to keeping your exercise appointment with yourself.  But for most accountability to self is not enough… it’s too easy to rationalize something else is more important.  Different people are successful with different forms of accountability.  For some simply investing in a gym membership is enough, for others having a friend or a group you are committed to exercise with, and for others a higher degree of accountability is needed for example a personal trainer.  We all spend a great deal of money on health insurance which is not health insurance at all.  Taking care of one’s health through proper nutrition and exercise is true health insurance.  If you know you need the highest level of accountability I suggest investing for 12 weeks in personal training and then re-evaluating.  Look at it as if you are taking a class to invest in your health.  We have all invested in education to better our lives; so, it just makes sense to do the same for our health.  The secret is accountability to a coach, mentor, and guide … someone who is committed to your commitment and impervious to your excuses. 

We are all well aware of the health crisis in America related to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a host of other preventable diseases.  Make a commitment to the three tips above and you are on your way to receiving the benefits of exercise and healthy eating habits.  When you are physically fit you will feel better, sleep better, overcome stress, work better, communicate better, play better and live better!  Make 2012 the year and decade you really DO something about making a lifestyle change that will improve your quality of life for years to come!!!

Julian Kaufman is the owner of Fitness Together – Chattanooga and is involved at Baylor school in sports performance training.  He has a degree in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University,  M.ED, NSCA-CSCS, USA Track & Field, and Epic Rating.

 Eating & The Holidays

By Julian Kauffman with Fitness Together

I often hear people stressing out about gaining weight through the holidays.  Is it a fair concern?  It is considering the volume of food and caloric density of all the food eaten on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years not to mention the constant holiday parties.  However, below are some tips to make it through the holidays and come out after the New Year just fine.

1.    It is not the holiday’s fault …  What I mean by this is that Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, your birthday, your spouse’s birthday, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, and Labor Day are only 8 out of 365 days.  You may come up with another 10 days a year that are splurges, but these 10-20 days are not the cause of America’s weight gain.  Enjoy these celebrations and don’t worry about it!  Make sure the other 345-355 days are the days you are eating healthfully.

2.    Holiday Parties … These are different from the actual family feast on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s… these are the parties you find yourself invited to through the week during the holiday season.  Eat tapas style … small plates … small servings… and choose two healthier choices for every splurge.  Enjoy only one beverage that contains calories. 

3.    The candy and sweet baskets at work … if you must, treat yourself to only one a day, and enjoy it.

4.    Don’t skip meals … this will help you during the holiday feasts not to eat as much.  Eat a healthy breakfast, snack healthfully and drink plenty of water especially before the “Big Meal.” 

 5.    Plan, Plan, Plan … this simply means be thoughtful about the meals you are eating on a regular basis during the holiday season.  Think through your week ahead of time.  If you are traveling on the road, pack a healthy meal in a cooler.  If you are going to be in restaurants, check out the menu online before going and go ahead and make the healthy decision before you arrive. 

 6.    Eat Light at Home … plan your grocery list for the week … make your refrigerator and cabinets at home a sanctuary of clean, whole foods.  Keep your refrigerator full of vegetables and fruit.  Purchase 5 different green veggies and 5 other vegetables of different colors as well as 5 different fruits.  Buy a variety of beans, nuts and seeds.  Purchase whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain cereal, and quinoa. You can find plenty of recipe ideas on the Internet.  Vegetable and bean based soups and salads made with citrus dressings, nuts and seeds will keep you full and healthy.  Keep your refrigerator and cabinets free from “junk food.”  If you don’t have the processed food and “junk food” at home, guess what?  You won’t eat it!

 7.    Stay Active … make sure to schedule your exercise time into the week.  Pick out 3 days with one hour dedicated to exercise.  Put it in your calendar as a scheduled appointment.  Don’t break the appointment.  Treat it as an important meeting you have with someone very important … YOU.  If you have an unavoidable situation arise simply reschedule.  There are 168 hours in a week. Commit 3 of them to exercise!

 Julian Kaufman has been working in the fields of fitness, nutrition and wellness for 18 years in the Chattanooga area.  He has a degree in Health & Exercise Science from Furman University, M.ED from Covenant College and is certified through the NSCA – CSCS and USA Track & Field.  He is the owner of Fitness Together a one on one personal training studio located on the North Shore. He also serves at Baylor School in sports performance training, fitness and wellness. 

Predicting the fall apple and pear harvest dates here in the US is always hard. Apples are grown in just about every part of the country so with weather as wild and varied as it has been this summer, pinpointing exactly when the fruit will be ready has been more difficult than most years. Additionally, fruit importers from the southern hemisphere ship their fruit before the expected domestic harvest. When the domestic harvest comes late, there will inevitably be a gap in supply. By late September we have made the transition from summer to fall fruit at our stores, but only now are we seeing harvest volumes start to build to support the change.

Another factor affecting this year’s harvest is fruit size. Apple trees are alternate bearing — meaning every other year the fruit load is larger or smaller depending on the life cycle of the tree. 2011 is a “low” bearing year so this means there are fewer apples on the tree. When this happens, average fruit sizing tends to be higher and takes longer to mature as a consequence. This, in addition to cool summertime weather conditions on the west coast (where most of the country’s organic production is located), were the biggest factors in the delay.

Like other tree fruit, apples have early and late bearing varieties. Softer, low-density fruit tends to come off first (like Gala, Gravenstein, Gold and Macintosh types) followed by denser, slower-maturing varieties like Fuji and Pink Lady later in the autumn.  Even the late-maturing apples have new sub-varieties that mature faster, but like most fruit the flavor is best in the early varieties.

Like peaches, the best early varieties are determined by where you happen to be standing in the US. In my part of the country the best early variety is hands down the Jonagold. A cross between a Golden Delicious and Jonathan, the Jonagold is crisp, sweet and juicy with none of the early starchiness common with new crop apples. Of course the early apple everyone is waiting for is the Honeycrisp — a wonderfully flavorful apple that has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Thankfully, the weather has cooperated in the last few weeks and apples are showing up in larger volumes at our stores and in farmers markets. Depending on where you are, the effects of the great apple supply gap of 2011 have diminished and we are all awash in wonderful new crop fruit. Apples (Jonagold!) and peanut butter are on the menu again as a breakfast staple and I am back to taking apples for granted. Maybe not as much as before — apples, it seems, are a big part of our world.

Recipe Demos

Whether I am showcasing a product on sale or just wanting to spread the news about Healthy Eating, recipes demos are a great way to learn easy recipes.

Friday, July 29^th: Salmon Sale Demo starting at 12:30

Friday, August 5^th:  Peach Sale Demo starting at 12:30

Tuesday, August 9^th: Seafood Demo; 12-2pm

Friday, August 19^th: Cantaloupe Demo; starting at 12:30

Back to School Day!

Saturday, August 6^th: A whole day of fun activities for kids! I’ll be hosting a Healthy Cooking Class upstairs from 11-3. Your kids can learn easy and fun recipes to take to school!

 Store Tours

Wednesday, August 17: A store tour showcasing healthy choices in each department. Very helpful and informative. We will meet at the customer service desk at 2pm. Sign up at customer service or email Ruth at ruth.kerr@wholefoods.com.

 **The next store tour will be Wednesday, September 14 at 2pm!

 Healthy Kid’s Club

Saturday, August 13: Join me once a month for a fun cooking club! Starting at 11am, each month we will learn different recipes that are easy and healthful! Sign up at customer service desk or by emailing ruth.kerr@wholefoods.com.

 *The next one will be Saturday, September 10^th at 11am!

 Stay posted for more events! If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at ruth.kerr@wholefoods.com

Founded by Jordan Thomas at age 16 while still in the hospital recovering from the loss of both legs below the knee in a boating accident, the foundation currently supports five recipients with needed prostheses. In addition, it commits to continuing this support, as needed, through age 18 or the growth years.

On Friday, July 1^st, team members from Greenlife Grocery presented Janet Jobe, Executive Director of the Jordan Thomas Foundation, and Linly Mason, a member of the Jordan Thomas Foundation Board of Directors, with a check for $2,214.55.

For more information on the Jordan Thomas Foundation, please visit: http://www.jordanthomasfoundation.org

Melt-in-my-mouth-marvelous! Like nothing else! That’s how I remember my first bite of that mildly sweet (okay, seductive) scallop a friend gave me at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco. It was the kind of bite that makes you want to take another and another. Only it wasn’t mine. I was having the chicken. I soon vowed to never again have chicken in a restaurant that served fresh scallops. Many times since, those tender, succulent little morsels have made their way onto my plate as appetizers, salads and main dishes.

And now you too can get your fill of wild-caught sea scallops from Marine Stewardship Council-certified sustainable fisheries this Friday, June 10^th, during our one-day sale for $9.99 per pound. You better try to beat me there, though, ‘cause they are only available at that price while supplies last! Our seafood expert tells me that these scallops are incredibly flavorful — “second to none!” They are individually frozen at sea within hours of being harvested, which is really unique.

A scallop is a mollusk that lives in a fan-shaped, two-hinged shell that scientists call a “bivalve.” The shell is ridged or “scalloped” in appearance. Scallops can be large or small. The delectable, edible portion of a large scallop, known as a Sea Scallop, is a marshmallow-shaped muscle that has been overly developed by the rapid snapping of the shell as it moves short distances through the sea. The small varieties such as Bay or Calico Scallops look more like miniature marshmallows.

Cooking scallops takes very little time but can be a bit tricky, so keep these tips in mind:

• Fresh scallops are not pure white; their colors can range from light beige to milky pink.
• Large scallops are fine for grilling, pan sautéing, breading and frying, or broiling.
• Small scallops are best suited for soups, stews, casseroles, salads, and stir-frying.
• Regardless of size, a raw scallop must always be firm to the touch with a fresh, mild slightly sweet scent.
• Once purchased, scallops must be refrigerated immediately, and ideally cooked within 24 hours.
• Be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel before sautéing in hot oil or butter.
• Whatever cooking method you choose, resist all temptation to over-cook! This is sure disaster for scallops. They can go from tender to rubber in a matter of seconds! Large scallops will cook in just 3 to 5 minutes; the smaller varieties are done in just a minute or two.
• If adding scallops to soups, stews or chowders, always add them right before serving, cooking just until they turn opaque; serve immediately.
• Resist the temptation to over-salt, over-spice and over-season — you don’t want to overpower their mild, delicate flavor.

If you’re ready for some serious scallop-seduction, look no further than these great ideas:

• Pair them with fruit; citrus, mango, papaya, veggie and/or fruit salsas all work great. Here is a recipe for Grilled Pineapple and Scallops Teriyaki and here’s another for Seared Scallops with Blood Oranges and Smoked Paprika Sauce.
• Serve seared or grilled over a bed of leafy greens tossed with light vinaigrette.
• Turn scallops into an appetizer like we did with Sautéed Scallops and Tomatoes on Garlic Toast.
• Toss cooked scallops into hot pasta.
• Add to simmering tomato sauce just before serving.
• Bake with tomatoes and cheese and serve with hot crusty bread.
• Add to soups, chowders and stews. You will love this recipe for Seafood Soup with Kale and Potatoes.
• Serve over hot cooked rice, or make Seafood Paella with Crab and Sugar Snap Peas.
• Scallops are delicious alongside pumpkin, fennel and white wine in Autumn Bouillabaisse.
• Gently poach in water or broth. Drain and marinate in favorite vinaigrette until well chilled. Serve with romaine lettuce, lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit slices.
• Sauté with leeks, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. Top with quality Romano or Parmesan cheese.
• Coat with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, herbs and seasonings. Pan sear in butter or olive oil and serve garnished with fresh minced parsley and a wedge of lemon.

If you’re like me — a humble servant of the succulent scallop — I’m certain you have a favorite recipe! Let me know how you like your scallops. See you at the sale this Friday!

While most of us no longer spend the morning at the cemetery, the kids are out of school (or soon to be), the pools are open, flags wave from porches and grills are scrubbed and ready for a starring role in the back yard. Perhaps you’re hosting a family Memorial Day party or have been invited to a neighborhood celebration. We’ve got some especially memorable recipe ideas for your weekend regardless of whether you’re the grill master, making a veggie side dish or sweetly bringing the evening to a close with a lovely, light dessert.

Tasty Fare from the Grill:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3008

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2985

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2555

Memorable Sides:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3006

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3012

Sweet Endings:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/946

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2698

Beyond taste and price, do you need a few more good reasons to indulge? Strawberries are superstars on the nutrition front. Just eight berries can provide as much Vitamin C as an orange, and you won’t have to peel anything. They are high in manganese and fiber and low in sodium. In addition, strawberries are packed with antioxidants and plant compounds that help keep cholesterol levels in healthy ranges.

Japan’s devastating 8.9 earthquake and tsunami in the beginning of March shook the world. Like me, many of us have friends and family affected by the disaster. The vibrations were immediately felt, and many responded. In an effort to support the countless victims left homeless and in shelters in Japan as a result, four partner stores in 2 North Shore have joined Soles4Souls to bring aid to Japan. Starting today (April 1), bring by used shoes to directly benefit the victims in Japan (please, appropriate closed-toe donations only). Drop off bins will be located at Rock/Creek, Greenlife Grocery, New Moon Gallery and Results Physiotherapy. The collection drive will run two weeks ending at the 2 North Shore Earth Day Celebration, April 16.

Why Shoes?

Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls notes that shoes, especially, are necessary for relief efforts because of increased exposure to broken glass, metal and raw sewage. The Nashville-based non-profit, founded in 2005, has collected and distributed nearly 12 million pairs of shoes to nearly 125 countries worldwide.

“We are saddened by the devastation and are continuing to monitor the developing effects of this powerful quake,” said Elsey.

 “As with any natural disaster, our concerns also turn to the nations like Indonesia and the Philippines where the damage could be greater because of the lack of resources.  We are fully equipped for an extensive response should the need prove to be as widespread as our partners are predicting.

Greenlife Grocery and 2 North Shore have always been dedicated to supporting local, national and international non-profits including humanitarian and environmental causes (check out Greenlife’s blog to see posts on initiatives and involvement). Last year, Greenlife Grocery and 2 North Shore partnered with Advantage Program and the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, local non-profits relief agencies in Haiti. In an overwhelming response to the initiative we collected over 3,000 pairs of shoes.

“We were stunned the response was so huge,” says Meleah Smith, 2 North Shore Marketing Coordinator. “This year, we hope Chattanooga can help us provide just as much aid to Japanese victims.”

Have an old pair of shoes? Bring ‘em in. Our hope this year is to match and surpass last year’s collection. We’ll be tracking the drive on this blog for the next two weeks, so check back for more updates on how we’re doing.  I donated my pair, where are yours?

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition’s mission is to serve as the region’s leader in advocating, planning, and maximizing funding and resources for homeless services. They hope to achieve this by identifying the service needs of the homeless community and by working with organizations to coordinate, create and develop resources, which would facilitate these community actions into a reality of actual services offered. The Coalition currently covers 11 counties, Bledsoe County, Bradley County, Grundy County, Hamilton County, Franklin County, Marion County, McMinn County, Meigs County, Polk County, Rhea County, Sequatchie County.

Greenlife Grocery and the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition encourage Chattanooga shoppers to explore the store’s latest specials and extensive variety of natural, organic and gluten-free products while supporting a great local cause.  Representatives will be at the store all day to inform interested customers about their organization.

Greenlife Grocery holds a 5% Day to benefit a local non-profit once per quarter. Any 501(c)3 non-profit organization can apply.  For more information on Greenlife Grocery products and community outreach efforts, visit the Chattanooga store’s website at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/chattanooga

For more information on the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition visit www.homelesscoalition.org.