Spring skiing couldn't be any more perfect!

As you all know this past weekend had some amazing temps, clear bluebird skies, and tons of spring snow! Well that is of course if you were at Sunday River, ME with me Saturday and Sunday. If you live south of the NH/ME border and look out your window, the snow is basically non-existent and leaving you to assume skiing is over. That is great however New England ski season always ends sometime around May 1st at many northern resorts, and if you are a true skier and want some back-country riding, just head to Tuckerman's Ravine on the backside of Mt. Washington which has snow until June or July (you can see Mt Washington into the distance which is covered in snow) .

I ventured up to Sunday River as soon as my last client completed her last repetition and arrived around 1:30 with temps in the upper 40's! The parking lots were completely full but I snagged a spot up at Barker lodge where I put on my gear and took to the hill. The snow was soft at the bottom near the lifts but fast and furious on the upper half of the mountain! There was zero melting going on up there as everything in the woods was frozen solid from the nightly refreeze. Skiing until 7pm (night skiing there this year on a few trails until 9pm however it was light until 7:30 - check out the sunset!), changed in my car and headed to Liam's down the road for some homemade lasagna, a chicken quesadilla, and a Geary's draft beer . Beer you say!? Yeah I don't know, I was alone and taking full advantage of my downtime. I was chatting with the owners a bit and spying on a couple in the dining room as a proposal was in progress. The waitress brought over a gift for the woman with dessert and turns out the ring didn't fit but she said yes.... aww how sweet.

My excitement didn't end there as I headed back to the mountain to see Eve 6, a punk/rock band I used to listed to back in High School (1994) and just reunited to play more music. A few bands opened for them which were really good, but I took to the front row and stayed there standing 3 feet in front of the Eve 6 who rocked about 16 songs! Entertainment ended at midnight and with no scheduled place to stay for the night, I decided to head to the ski dorm lounge to watch some tv until 1am where I actually fell asleep until 2 and then retreated to my car bundled in my cozy down jacket, which I somehow ripped on something and got goose feathers EVRYWHERE in my car!!! I realized this at 3:30am and went into the dorm lounge again only to encounter a security guard wondering why feathers were streaming out of me. I asked him for Duct tape which he didn't have (and must have thought I was completey insane), so I rigged up a white plastic back over my right arm so it now looks like I am a rock star from the UK.

6am quickly came where I ate plenty of breakfast and took to the slopes to get first tracks at 8am. There is something about skiing on corduroy that is so smooth and fast and just makes you smile cruising down the mountain going 60mph! I had 4 runs in by 9am. Noon rolled around and so did the temps, climbing to nearly 52. The main reason I went there was to ski bumps and I was just waiting for patrol to open the bump runs once they were soft enough. 12:30 was the time and they opened Last Tango (glade off Barker) where I stayed until 4pm close! I worked my legs until complete exhaustion and was loving every second of it cruising through the trees at speeds not recommended to most people. :)

The snow is plentiful up in Maine with 95" on the ground up at Sugarloaf, which means bare spots are not happening in the near future.. but if there was you could easily ski around them as they get bigger and bigger going into late April. Spring snow, sun, and fun can't be beat! Bike season can wait another few months for me.

See you on the mountain!

Inspirational Nutrition for your family

This message is intended for any of my clients or anyone living in the Boston area who is looking to improve their eating habits through health counseling such as group seminars and classes. One of my clients, Laurie Brownstein, has been helping families cope with nutritional battles associated with food allergies and the stress of time constraints... and she wants to help you!

Here is a little information on what her business and experience provides:

- Improve your eating habits
- Feel confident in choosing and preparing better food for you and your loved ones.
- Experience a remarkable increase in your energy and vitality.
- Understand your cravings and stop binges.
- Feel better about your body and achieve your ideal weight.
- Experience an increase in overall happiness in your life.

The programs may include 2 sessions per month in-person or via phone with group classes that discuss recipes and a cooking demonstration on how to prepare healthy food for your family. You can also receive a tour of a grocery store to help you determine a correct and healthy choice, have access to personal library collections and CD's relating to nutrition, all while setting goals and making simple lifestyle changes.

Call her today to set up an appointment!
617- 548-9966

Break the Bread Trap

Bread and similar wheat products are ubiquitous throughout much of the world. For many years, the USDA's food pyramid recommended 11 servings of grains and grain products. However, modern wheat is very different from the wheat our ancestors ate.

The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has enormously increased as a result of hybridization. Until the 19th century, wheat was also usually mixed with other grains, beans and nuts; pure wheat flour has been milled into refined white flour only during the last 200 years.

The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of us have eaten since infancy has created health problems in the gut, the bloodstream, the brain, and sometimes also the joints, cardiovascular system and endocrine system.

"Gluten" comes from the Greek word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold bread and cake together. But those same properties interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal. The result is a worthless, glued-together constipating lump in the gut rather than a nutritious meal.

At worst, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and cancer can result from severe celiac disease or extreme gluten sensitivity. But there are many others who suffer from unexplained diarrhea, intestinal gas and bloating, joint pains, infertility or brain fog.

Soy Milk is Unhealthy

Here is the process of how soy beans turns into soy milk:

Soybeans are "milked" to make soy milk, and transmogrified into health-harming products nobody needs.

After presoaking beans in an alkaline solution, the resulting paste is cooked in a pressure cooker, eliminating key nutrients and producing low levels of the toxin lysinoalanine.

After that, the production process becomes a matter of cleaning up the undesirable, beany taste of soy milk, either by presoaking beans beforehand with baking soda or "deodorizing" them using a process similar to refining oil. Sweeteners (raw cane crystals, barley malt or brown rice syrup) and flavorings mask any remaining "beaniness."

Sales of soy milk came to $1 billion in 2005. But soy milk drinkers might be surprised to learn that soy milk was originally considered nothing more than a step in the process of making tofu. Soy milk consumption didn't pick up until the late 1970s, when advertisers began promoting it as an energy drink.

The soy industry has long concentrated on taste rather than health, however. And since soy milk doesn't exist naturally in nature, it is, and always has been, a processed food.

The Skinny on FATS - Saturated fat is good for you!

I recently just came across another article relating to saturated fats and whether or not they are good for you. There is an awful lot of false information out there created by companies that want you to eat their "crap" - pardon my french, and fat consumption is one of them. This country is OBSESSED with the concept that no fat equals weight loss and better health, when in fact we were much healthier when our great grandparents and even parents were having raw milk delivered to the door each week and eating food grown from the garden.

Anyway here is the article in 4 sections:

Weekend Thaw/Freeze

The weather has been fairly cooperative up north with up to 66" of snow at Jay Peak a few weeks ago before the mini thaw happened on Friday with a few showers, and warm temps. The northern slopes are stacked with snow - Sugarloaf reporting a 95" base. I ventured up north to NH after happy hour on Friday night following my spin class - which I gave them a full hour of fun -- where I was happy to have some homemade chocolate cake and chocolate frosting! The occasion? My 31st birthday of course which quickly went as fast as it came.

Driving up to NH in some rain and 50 degree temps were ingredients for disaster knowing that a blast of arctic air was to move in from Canada and take a strong grip on the mountains. Wet snow followed by sub 20 degree high temps usually translates into "stay home because the mountain will be a sheet/block of ice. Having slept on the floor of my friends house in my sleeping bag Friday night -- don't ask, I woke up at 6am and walked outside to see what the snow has done.... sure enough it was frozen. With a changing forecast and no snow expected up north, I whipped up some real french toast using a french baguette, fresh eggs from the farm down the road, and milk that my friend's friend milked himself! I couldn't stop there and whipped up the best fluffy scramble eggs I have ever tasted!! Sorry I didn't have time to take a picture.

I left NH and drove back to MA while the weather was warmer and skies were clear. It was time to grab the mountain bike and head out on the road for 2 or 3 hours out into Concord/Carlisle area before retreating back home. It's time to start getting in shape for the bike season and since I am now 31, I am ALMOST at my prime. The last 2 years were great but the next 10 will be better!

Oh I ventured out of the house and saw Slumdog Millionaire last night after being told by everyone to see it, which was really fantastic. Great film and amazing footage. I highly recommend! This morning I woke up, ate some oatmeal and hit the gym to take a Spinning class and see some old friends that I don't normally see on the weekend. Rode the bike for 2 hours and lifted for about an hour to cap off my morning, and quickly retreated to Russo's for some food!

I hope everyone's weekend was great and eventful. HEAVY snow in the forecast tonight and tomorrow with 15" expected here. Translation: no school but I will be on the road and you can count on me being at your house.

Bye for now!