Being Young with High Blood Pressure

And what can you young, old, or healthy do about it?

One of my health issues during the four year period I was sick was having high blood pressure. You don't think a life-long dancer is going to have heart issues in her mid-late 20s.

Although I've since conquered that battle, it is something I know I have to continuously keep an eye on. If I see something start to creep up (I'd still like it to keep coming down anyway) it's time to be proactive.

Compiled for myself for you all & anyone to use, are a list of five natural & healthy things you can do to help yourself along - whether you have high blood pressure or would just like to prevent it.

1) What to eat or not to eat:

 Garlic helps naturally with so many things whether you're catching a cold, warding off the flu, or have chronic illnesses. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory and will also help with arthritis.

2) Salt = No bueno for high BP people. The recommended daily amount for regular normal people is 2,300mg / day max. If you have high blood pressure or are susceptible to it, the recommended daily allowance is reduced to no more than 1,800mg a day.


3) Marjoram & essential oils

 

Marjoram was known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness. Essential oils enter through the bloodstream by diffusion through the lungs or through the sweat glands when used aromatically or topically. These oils lower the blood pressure by gradually dilating constricted arteries – which usually force the heart to exert more pressure when pumping blood.

I will be picking up a bottle of this in a couple weeks through doTERRA here if you'd like to try it as well.
Here's another short article on essential oils and blood pressure: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/aromatherapy-CDC-high-blood-pressure-1579.html

4) Yoga -

For the past year or so I've been trying to get myself to do yoga more consistently. I had an instructor I liked back in 2014 but only saw her once a week - if that. I'd like to try to get up to three nights a week. Personally I find doing yoga at night instead of the morning is much more relaxing and a great way to end a long (stressful) day.

5) Continuing education, consistent re-evaluation.
 Check your potassium! Low levels can contribute and also cause stiff muscles. Recommended potassium intake is 3,500-4,200mg a day. I went two weeks without my salads that usually contained spinach and avocado and saw my average daily intake drop to only about 600mg. I didn't even realize this until I went back through my food logs on www.myfitnesspal.com

You don't have to be old or a smoker to have high blood pressure. You could be young, eat pretty fabulously and exercise 4-5 times a week and still get it (me! woo hoo!) There are many, many factors that can come into play that we might not think of or even feel we have. While mine may be from stress, that doesn't mean I shouldn't take into account other positive things that I could be doing to help, like consuming more anti-inflammations (ginger, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cinnamon, honey, leafy greens), focusing on better sleep, different exercises, and seeing what works best for me.

One of the greatest things I've noticed in trying to be healthier in one aspect, is that it often ends up helping another aspect that you weren't even intending to. In trying to lose weight, you could notice you don't catch colds as easily since you're eating better. If you try to reduce blood pressure, you may notice a positive change in mental health & overall well-being, because the good and healthy things you do to your body end up touching all aspects, whether you like them or not. :)

Namaste.

Yours in health and happiness,

Samantha Marie

Meal Prepping this Week

Good ol Egg White Bites. Super convenient & can be eaten warm or cold. I like to make a big batch then eat them over the course of 3-5 days. You can check out the recipe here: http://naturalbeautyandbody.blogspot.com/2014/06/easy-egg-white-bite-recipe.html

I also picked up some ground turkey for my first time a couple weeks ago by the suggestion of one of my personal trainers. I'm not much of a meat eater & wasn't sure what to do with it exactly, but I decided to make ground turkey wraps:

I went to Trader Joe's and got 99% fat free lean ground turkey. Put the whole thing in a large pan sprayed with olive oil spray to coat, then a tablespoon of olive oil in the center. Added a couple sprinkles of chili flakes, fresh ground pepper, garlic, some basil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. 

Put that on a bed of romaine hearts, sprinkled some light shredded mozzarella cheese over, added a tablespoon of pineapple salsa and now have my new favorite mini meal!

Weekend With the Ladies

I had a great Valentine's weekend with a few of my favorite girl friends visiting them in Sacramento. We went wine tasting at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, California.

I sometimes get motion sickness, and it comes pretty often when riding in the back seat of a car. I switched off a couple times with a friend, but come Sunday afternoon heading to brunch, I appeared to have hit my limit very quickly - in about 5 minutes.

By the time we got the wonderfully delicious bottomless mimosa brunch with extra crispy bacon, I was about to tap out, wave the white flag and hug a toilet for the rest of the afternoon. Food arrived & it was an internal battle between wanting to eat it & running to the restroom again for nearly an hour. I had remembered I just received my doTERRA travel key chain where you can put little samples in to carry around with you. One of them, Digest-Zen helps with digestive issues, and I couldn't remember on the top of my head if it helps with nausea too. What the heck, what do I have to lose. Put a couple drops in my water & rubbed a few drops on my tummy.

 

I swear to God, Digest-Zen saved my life this past Sunday brunch. It worked in about 5 minutes, and I was able to start eating food about ten minutes later. I am so happy I had this little thing on me. I was able to continue not just brunch with the girls, but go walking around downtown with them & see a movie later. 

I am definitely taking this with me every single Las Vegas trip from now on too. ;)

Day 1: InTune

As some of you may have heard by now, we are back, bigger & better than ever! This of course didn't come without some long radio silence & sleepless nights. 

Our new website www.samtalia.com for Natural Beauty & Body was scheduled to launch February 11th, and on the afternoon of the 10th, we still weren't completed. Thoughts all over the place, still trying to figure out technical stuff with a deadline approaching. Fortunately my monthly shipment of doTERRA just came in the other day, and I had just ordered & received this new essential oil blend called InTune - especially made to focus! Why not give it a try? I had ordered it originally for studying. Put a little on the bottoms of my feet & behind my neck.

Did it work?

Well, I beat the midnight deadline, didn't I? ;)

The Silence was for a Reason

Hello all!

As you may have noticed, it's been pretty quiet around here the last few months. It's without vain though, and the website that this blog was made to become is finally ready to be unveiled!

On this Thursday, February 11th 2016 I invite you all to come check out Natural Beauty and Body by SamTalia. This website will incorporate all the things we have talked about over the past couple of years: fitness, beauty, nutrition, health and happiness, and also introduce new resources and products available online - if you're not lucky enough to come check them out personally here in Northern California.

Thank you EVERYONE for all your support over the past couple of years! I'm very excited to take this next step with you all and everyone else that becomes a part of SamTalia, and wherever else it may evolve to from there.

Welcome back to the original Natural Beauty and Body blog! <3

~ Samantha Marie

www.samtalia.com

Food Pyramids Around The World

It's interesting to see the differences in the way people eat around the world, or they way they believe they "should" eat.
Notice that most of the diets emphasize an almost unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide the body with a direct source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, water and a wide variety of antioxidants.

Grains and cereals in the diet should come from whole grains. The refining of cereal to white flour diminishes the nutrient content of the food while raising the glycemic affect on the body (not a good thing! Especially for diabetics).
The meat or protein source in most of the pyramids emphasizes foods that are low in saturated fats. 

Which one you think would be best for you? 

The Latin American Diet

 

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

The Mediterranean Diet

 The Asian Diet

All of the pyramids emphasize daily activity.
Only the USDA pyramid (most likely influenced by number of political agendas) pushes for a higher intake of meat, diary and cereals. Most of the other pyramids place a higher emphasis on fruits and vegetables as the main course of the meal.

There is a big healthy difference between eating whole grains and cereals and refined grains and cereals. The carbohydrates that you eat should be low glycemic carbohydrates whenever possible. There is also a big difference between eating essential fats (omega 3 and omega 6 oils) and non essential fats like partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat) and saturated fat.

The USDA pyramid does not distinguish between the type of grain/cereal, the type of protein source nor the type of fat being eaten.
A moderate intake of alcohol is the equivalent of one glass of red wine daily.

The U.S.D.A. Food Guide Pyramid

The Vegetarian Diet

 If I were going to make a food pyramid, the base of mine would be vegetables, with whole grains, fruits, legumes & beans coming up next. This would be like the Mayo, Latin & Vegetarian bases. Healthy fats with plant oils, nuts and Omega-3s would be the next level, like Vegetarian, Asian, and Mediterranean. Second to the top would be dairy, eggs, and other lean proteins like Latin, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, and Asian. At the very top would be sweets and meat, like Asian, Mediterranean and Latin food pyramids. :)

Featured Profile: This City Girl's Lost 70+lbs!

People who have achieved great health & fitness goals don't have to be people you can't relate to in some far off land - they are people just like you in your own neighborhood! Fortunately I live in one of the most amazing cities on the planet full of some of the most amazing people and I hope to bring stories of their many awesome adventures to you!  This is the first Featured Profile on Natural Beauty & Body, and I hope to bring many more great people just like this one!

Susanne Robb, after taking in her Bachelorette dress

Suzanne Robb is a native East Bay girl, and we share a love of music, dancing and cheese in common. We've known each other for about 13 years now, originally from the San Francisco music & nightlife industry. Known to most of her friends as Suzee or The Suz (also formerly Suzee the Cheese Ortiz) she has been a major inspiration to not only her friends and those who personally know her the past couple years, but to people all over the world that have followed her journey online, documented everywhere from her 10 runs this year to her MyFitnessPal profile. I was very happy and excited that Suzie took some time away from conquering the world to meet with me one day so I could pick her brain on how and why she's accomplished all that she has to be where she is today.

Before Pics:

First Race

 After Pics:

NB&B: Most people start their fitness journey with changing how they eat. What was different if your case? 
Suzee: I started with working out first because I figured it would help me not feel as bad about eating garbage. I was correct but not in the way I thought it would be. I found that when I worked out I WANTED to eat better because it made me feel better. They compliment each other.

NB&B: You started running first. What made you choose running? 
Suzee: I have never been a runner in my life. I never thought it would be something I would ultimately enjoy. I chose running because I know it's fantastic cardio for you blood and heart. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. Now I do fun runs and rather enjoy it. 

NB&B: How did you first feel about getting a trainer? What were some of the things he said/ did to encourage you? 
Suzee: I really wanted a trainer to make sure I was getting the full effect in weight training. It's really easy to assume you are doing something right but end up not getting the full effect or injuring yourself. John was the best investment of my life. He pushed me more than I would have ever pushed myself. He helped me to see I am capable of more than I ever would have thought. He has been extremely supportive without Belittling or embarrassing me. He empowers me. 

NB&B: Why did you start changing how you ate? What were some of the steps you took when you took certain foods out of your diet/ what did you add? 
Suzee: I saw the movie "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" and it made me realize I don't eat nearly enough veggies. So I made it a personal habit that at least 3 of my 5 meals a day had green veggies. I also cut out anything fried. That was rough but worth it. 

NB&B: What are some memorable milestones in your fitness journey? 
Suzee:  John was there for me in so many ways. He helped me to lose 70lbs. He was also the one that pushed me to do Tough Mudder. He trained with me and was even there on race day in a boot with a torn achilles. I never thought I would be able to do an obstacle course like that but I finished it even with a rolled ankle. When I started I couldn't even run a few yards. I did my 6th run of the year a few weeks ago and I'm doing my first half marathon next month. 

NB&B: You're an inspiration to many. What advice do you have for people when they ask you for it?  
Suzee: I tell people don't let the scale dictate your happiness. make sure they love themselves at any size. Otherwise it doesn't matter if they are a size 8 or an 18 they will never be happy with their results. Also true results take time and dedication. The weight didn't get there overnight, it's not going to come off overnight. Think baby step. Have an ultimate goal but look at it in increments. Need to loose 50lbs? Make mini goals of 10 lbs so it doesn't look so intimidating and before you know it, it adds up and you reached your ultimate goal. 

NB&B: What are your current & long term goals? 
Suzee: I have lost 70 lbs so far. I am 25lbs away from my ultimate goal. I want to be 150 or a size 6. Whichever comes first.

We'd like to thank Suzie again for her time & being an inspiration to so many. We hope to hear from her again soon, and give her a shout or follow if you see her online! :)