Trufit Pilates

Category: Health and Wellness

  • Everything you NEED to know about Greens Powders

    It is no secret I loveeeeee my kale smoothies. If you are new to TPB, my FAV is my Berry Blemish Blaster. Three weeks ago I decided I wanted to sneak more veggies into my diet. I know I couldn’t possibly eat anymore than I already am so I started looking into greens powders. This was a project…let me tell you. I am someone who craves veggies and actually enjoys them, greens powder however taste like wet grass. Most are too disgusting to even chug-a-lug and leave the worst possible aftertaste. Thanks but no thanks.

    I recently ordered a powder from Australia (Morlife) and I am so obsessed. The greens powder has an alkalizing effect on the body which is so so so important for maintaining a health pH. If you aren’t aware, your bodies optimum pH is slightly alkaline…7 is neutral and our body needs to be around 7.35-7.45. Nurses will tell you that anything outside of that range, even slightly, can be fatal. Foods that are acidic include meats, dairy and sugar while foods that are more alkaline are fruits and veggies. I cant stress enough the importance of eating alkaline foods people.

    One super easy way to balance out your diet is a greens powder. The brand I use has five servings of fruits and veggies in every tablespoon…FIVE. I love starting my day with a tablespoon in 8oz of water. I know that my body is going to disperse all the nutrients really fast on an empty stomach especially since there is a build up of stomach acid at night when we sleep. If I had a more indulgent day or if I am feeling sluggish I will double up on my powder because it is such an EASY way to fill up your body with nutrients. For example, I was VERYYYYY sick on Saturday…that story deserves its own vlog…anyway yesterday I did two scoops of greens on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and had a third scoop mid afternoon.

    Okay so know that you know all the benefits let’s talk about what you are wondering… how awful does it taste. On a Yum Scale I would give it a 5. It isn’t the most delicious thing in the world but it also isn’t gross and there is ZERO aftertaste. I wouldn’t drink it to quench my thirst. But I don’t dread it or struggle to drink it. Honestly it is the only one I tried that I think is even worth drinking. I have tried half a dozen from Wegmans and Whole Foods and they were a total waste of money…one sip and I was throwing them out. If you know any American brands that don’t taste like booty let me know kay?

    Have a bomb Monday folks…ewww Im far too young to use that word. Whatever.

    xoxo,

    K

  • Cupping 101

    Hey guys!! I know I wanted to have this up for you last week but my schedule was kind of all over the place…and my little brother is leaving for his freshman year of college today so it has been a wild week in the Dudley house. Anyway, last week Micheal Phelps hit the pool with a dozen circular “bruises” and the internet went insane, but cupping isn’t new. The earliest recorded cupping practice dates back to the fourth century by Chinese herbalist Ge Hong.

    The three types of cupping are typically practiced (wet, dry, and air) after acupuncture or during//after a massage. Although the methods differ slightly, they share a common goal, create suction of the skin into the cup. Once the cups are applied, they sit on the skin for 3-10 minutes.

    I had the suction cups applied and used during a relaxation massage. Kayla (my masseuse) first used her hands to massage my neck, shoulder and back. She felt for adhesions and tight spots before using the cups to massage those areas. It totally doesn’t hurt but the sensation is…different. A good different. As she moved the cup over my tighter spots there was definitely more pressure, but I welcomed it.  After she was finished using the cups to massage, she applied the cups to my skin and left them their while she massages my legs. The cups where noticeable but not at all bothersome. I really liked it. After a few minutes she took off the cups and finished my massage. After what seemed like the shortest hour of my life, it was over.

    Now it was time to see my marks. Before going into it I knew that the darker the marks meant then more toxins I had in my body. I had just came back from a vacation where I had donuts (three to be exact) and cinnamon rolls neither of which are in my normal clean routine so I expected the cupping marks to be dark. To my surprise, they were barely visible, only in good lighting and they were gone the very next day.

    Comparatively, my little brother had cupping done a few weeks ago and his back and his marks were dark…they were super noticeable and there was a lot of them. You can totally see the difference in how our two lifestyles impacted the cupping. Not that Brendan is unhealthy, but he eats more processed food than I do. He will grab snacks or meals from Wawa when he is out with friends. He also loves to go out to eat whereas I prefer to cook all my meals. Those slight differences in our exposer to toxins made a big difference when it came to our marks.

    According to a private practitioner of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine, Dr Lovie, “When our liver or kidneys aren’t able to process these insults to the system and excrete them correctly, the toxins are put into storage to be managed at a later time – and they’re usually housed in the muscle layer. The vacuum action of cupping rapidly facilitates the release of rigid soft tissues, stimulates the peripheral nervous system, loosens and lifts connective tissues, breaks up and drains stagnation. It also increases blood and lymph flow to skin, muscles, and connective tissues. It does all of these things far more rapidly and effectively than any other type of therapy, including acupuncture, massage, chiropractic adjustments, medications or even surgery.”

    Ummmmm how amazing does that sound????????

    To clear up any misconception, cupping marks are not bruises. They are causes by stagnant blood and toxins in the body. So who can benefit from cupping? Everyone. Toxins are unavoidable. They are in the air we breathe and the food we eat (no matter how hard you try to avoid them) If you have an autoimmune condition or an old injury cupping can do wonders for you! Athletes use cupping to help with healing and to increase their performance…I mean if the best olympian in the world is doing it, you know it has to be good right?

    After cupping, it is super important to drink a ton of water and rest. You want to help your body flush out the toxins. Try to limit sun exposer to your cupping marks and you want to eat nutrient dense meals to help promote healing. The cupping marks can last anywhere from a few hours to three weeks so if you have a wedding or a photoshoot you might want to skip it that month.

    This was only my first time cupping and I plan to keep it up especially to help manage stress heading into my final semester of nursing school. What are your favorite homeopathic health methods? I am dying to try more!! Leave me a comment and it might just be my next post.

    xoxo,

    K

  • Calories: Why they DONT Matter

    Happy Monday! Is it weird that I like Mondays? It feels like a fresh start you know? There is a lot happening this week blog and life wise. Im pumped. I got fresh highlights this weekend and I have a lash refill on Wednesday so you know it is going to be a good week. Anyyyy way let’s get into it shall we?

    I want to dive head first into one of my FAVORITE things to talk about, diet. More specifically calories and why they don’t matter.

    Yes that was a bold statement. I don’t believe in looking at calories. Crazy right? Hear me out. Every fad diet and women’s magazine has brainwashed us in to believing low calorie is the way to go when trying to lose weight and become healthy. In theory it sounds like a good idea… eat less, weigh less. I have tried those fad diets: low carb, no fat, no fun. Yes I dropped weight but I wasn’t any healthier. I was miserable because I was hungry. These diets have you restrict yourself or even worse cut out an entire food group which is why they don’t work longterm. In order to function your body needs carbs, veggies, fats and protein. (Veggies are in the carb family but they are sooooo important I give there own group.)

    So what are calories? A unit of measurement. Calories are the amount of energy that a food//drink will give you. So it makes sense why we feel so tired, sluggish and dare I say bitchy when we are restricting ourselves. When you listen to your body and eat 80% unprocessed foods and you have an active lifestyle there is no need for counting calories.

    If you are eating a high number of calories (that are processed and full of nasty chemicals) and you don’t use that energy it is then stored as fat. Why? Because back in the day when we were hunting and gathering we held on to those extra calories because we didn’t know when we would get our next major meal or when we were going to have to run from a lion. It makes sense right?

    If you are eating 80% unprocessed and all natural food you will look and more importantly feel so much better.

    When I changed the way I looked at food labels, I changed the way I felt about food. I used to look only at the calories and not at the ingredients. If it was over 200 calories I wouldn’t eat it. I looked for packages that said ‘Low Fat’ and ‘100 Calories Per Serving’ in bright bold font. What those labels don’t say is ‘Full of Chemicals’ and ‘No Nutritional Value’.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I looked at the calorie count in any of my foods, my eyes go right to the ingredients. If I see that the ingredients are all natural, chemical free and REAL that is all I care about. If I don’t know what an ingredient is I google it. I want to know what I am putting in my body. Who cares if the calories are higher is the food is better quality?

    If I am being honest, most of my food doesn’t have a label. I usually fill up my cart with veggies, leafy greens and a variety of fruits. Then I get meat, I alway organic ground turkey and chicken. Those things make up 80% if not more of my diet. Add in some brown rice, quinoa chips and a few freshly baked organic chocolate chip cookies and I’m set for the week.

    My FAVORITE example when talking about my view on calories is soda. Diet soda is zero calories. My smoothies are up to 200 calories. It is a no brainer which one you should be drinking but someone who is calorie counting may be naturally drawn to the wrong choice. When it comes to making the healthiest choice the ingredients always come before the number of calories. Food is fuel and the higher quality the better. Always try to think about what you eat and how it is impacting your body.

    Do you track you calories? Or do you keep a food diary? Or are you like me and adjust your diet based on your actives and how you feel? Tell me how you stay on track!

    xoxo,

    K