In the words of Amy Whinehouse, sometimes you’ve got to “rock your f*&# me pumps.” While wedges and pumps might look jaw-dropping, ever wonder what damage they are doing? Slipping into heels everyday, over time, causes untold damage to our feet and backs. That small pinch of pain in your low back or slowly developing bunion might not bother you now, but a few years down the road you’ll be wishing you had switched to flats every once in a while.

The truth is you can have your cake and eat it too. You can click-clack down the street in your wooden wedges as long as you “do your homework” and take care of your body after you kick them off at the end of the day. With a few simple adjustments to your posture and what I like to call foot rehab you’ll be strutting your stuff without the negative side effects.

1.) Stretch Out: One of the reasons our legs and booty look so damn great when we wear heels is because the heel causes the calf and hamstring muscles on the back of the leg to work. The heel also jacks up the booty, causing more pressure on the low back. Overtime, tight hamstrings and an overextended low back can cause low back pain and tight hips putting undue stress on the spine. The simple solution is to stretch your hamstrings, low back, and calves with a fold over. Hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds and repeat every time you take off your heels.

2.) Swap For Flats: If you currently wear heels everyday, swap them for a cute pair of flats every other day. Or better yet, save the heels for going out at night only. If you have to wear them at work, slip on more comfortable and supportive shoes to and from the office.

3.) Strengthen Your Core: Part of healthy heel wearing has to do with how you hold your posture while they are on. The tendency is to sit or rest in the low back with hyperextended knees, a swayed back look. Combat this while you stand and walk in heels by pulling in the low abdominals. Stand as straight and tall as you can and watch what your belly does. Does it just hang out over you jeans or are you actively trying to stand up tall and support the low back with your core? Strengthen your abdominals with the plethora of ab exercises out there. To target the low abs try this one:

4.) Massage Out The Arches: Use an old tennis ball to roll out the arches of your feet. After a long day on your feet, stand on a tennis ball under your heel and slowly roll the ball under the middle and both sides of your arch. Lean on the ball with more weight to increase the intensity. Spread out the toes and get those bones moving around. Over working the muscles and fascia of the arches can lead to plantar fascitis and other foot ailments.

5.) Watch Your Alignment: When you are walking in your favorite pumps do your ankles wobble or roll in? Take note of how your ankle and foot are aligned. Ideally your ankle is not rolling in or out of the shoe. You want your knee cap to line up with your ankle, which should line up with the middle of your foot. Check out how you weight bare as well. Are you carrying all your weight on the ball of the foot? Weight bearing on the ball of the foot will cause the bones of the foot to move/grow to carry the weight (a bunion). Try to even out the weight distribution to both sides of the foot.

6.) Find Shoes That Fit: If you’ve got a wide foot there’s no way your going to squeeze your feet into those cute Chinese Laundry pumps. Be realistic and find brands that fit the width and shape of your foot. When shoe shopping make sure you can feel the whole foot pad, ball of the foot, middle and pinky side. Avoid super pointed or flat toed shoes since they cramp your toes and force the bones into really unnatural shapes. Overly cramped toes can lead to hammer toes, stress fractures and black nails. Ever looked at a models feet?

As a life long dancer and current Pilates professional, who has tortured her feet in point shoes and now bare foot, I have seen and felt the woes of foot related pain. Take care of your feet now so can walk, run and dance into your 90’s. For more facts and information about the effects of high heels, click here.

By now we are all on the veggie boat. Study after study has shown the importance of eating a colorful variety of vegetables and fruit daily. Those juicy nutrient rich, antioxidant packed fruits and veggies are all we need, right? Well… not quite. We can’t forget about the large, yet underutilized, group of sea vegetables. The seaweeds and marine algae!

These “plants” or vegetables of the sea have long been considered to increase longevity, prevent disease, and impart beauty and health. The most widely used and available types of seaweed include nori (used for sushi…yummm!), kombu, kelp, dulce, and Irish moss. Spirulena, Chlorella and Blue-green algae are also readily found in a powdered supplement form or as an ingredient in green drinks like my favorite Superfood, by Odwalla. So what is it about these slimy and somewhat unappetizing seaweeds that make them so magnificent?

Let’s put it this way, seaweed contains more calcium than milk, more iron than beef, and more protein than eggs. All varieties are rich with micronutrients and minerals only found in the sea. Meaning you can’t get these vital nutrients from any other source, including land plants. Traditionally, these vegetables of the sea are said to dissolve tumors, detoxify heavy metals, reduce water retention, and aid in weight loss. These wonder greens are also touted to aide in preventing cancer.

One of the few ways I get my seaweed fix is by enjoying a killer wakame salad. Here’s a simple recipe to try tonight. I also love to pick up some nori at Whole Foods and roll fresh sushi with a small bowl of miso on the side. Look for baggies of various types of seaweed at your local health food store and crumble it over a salad or mix it into a spicy stir-fry. Soaking instructions usually come on the package. If you haven’t tried seaweed before don’t be put off by looks. Dive in!

Resource: Secrets Of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways To Live To Be 100, by Dr. Maoshing Ni

Fall is here and winter is just around the corner, which means only one thing…prepare for cold and flu season. The autumn and winter months bring cold, windy conditions which for thousands of years has been known to increase the likelihood of catching a cold or flu.

Instead of waiting until you’ve got a nasty cold to do something about it, pick up some preventative tips that will have you sitting by the fire enjoying your vibrant health. There are plenty of over the counter drugs to deal with cold and flu symptoms, but they don’t actually get to the root of the problem, a low immune system. Holistic and natural approaches seek to strengthen the body’s defenses as well as help with symptoms if they occur. Here are my top 5 holistic ways to stay cold and flu free this season:

1. Bundle Up: When it’s cold and especially windy outside make sure to keep yourself protected from the elements with cozy coats, hats, gloves and scarves. Why’s reducing your exposure to cold important? Well, Traditional Chinese Medicine considers colds and flu’s to be,

“Exterior conditions that have a sudden onset triggered by external environmental influences such as wind, cold, heat or damp; in most cases, wind combines with either cold or heat, and affects the skin, the mucous membranes of the nasal passages and lungs, and their immunity. At this point viruses, germs, or other pathogens can establish themselves.”~ Paul Pitchford, Healing with Whole Foods

There is also an emphasis in wearing scarves to protect the back of the neck, which is understood to be more susceptible to cold conditions.

2. Wash Those Germs Away: Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching public bathroom doorknobs and shopping carts…ewww! If you can’t wash, tote an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer. Some grocery stores like Trader Joes are even offering anti-bacterial wipes at the front door to wipe down those germy carts, so keep a look out.

3. Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle: There is no better way to boost your immune responses then by eating whole foods, fitting in daily exercise, and sleeping well. A balanced mind, body, and spirit will have the defenses necessary to ward off those debilitating colds. This also means watching how much alcohol and other toxins your consuming, which will only tax your system. Hard over the holidays…I know!

4. Drink Tea And Other Remedies: Wonder teas like Echinacea and elderflower are well known to help boost the immune system and fight off colds. Ginger tea is also a great remedy to expel viruses and colds, due to its expansive warming quality. Add honey or lemon for added benefit. Of course taking vitamin C is also a sure fire way to help build defenses. I personally drink an Airborne or EmergenC everyday, which has dramatically changed my health. I take mass transit everywhere and am in physical contact with people everyday through dance. All the colds that went ramped through my group I thankfully avoided. To stay cold free I start drinking the tea’s mentioned above once or more a day when I first come in contact with someone sick.

5. Make An Attitude Adjustment: Those with a positive outlook on life are known to live longer healthier lives. The mind, body and spirit are connected, meaning that how we think, feel and act affects our body and visa versa. If you think, “she/he caught that horrible flu, I’ll probably be next,” your creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and try not to fall into a victim mentality.

I hope these tips will have you staying warm and healthy this winter!

I just finished re-reading one of my favorite books on aging and had to share an ancient yet innovative way of eating a well-rounded, nutrient rich diet for life. Secrets Of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways To Live To Be 100, by Dr. Maoshing Ni, is a fun read full of amazing advice and wisdom. All of the tips outlined in the book are based on the most current research coupled with the learned secrets of a hundred centenarians (people who have lived to 100+). The Rule Of 5 is as follows:

For thousands of years Chinese medicine has observed that there are five elemental energies in our universe as well as within our bodies. These energies are represented by wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each of these symbols also corresponds to a color. Wood corresponds to green, fire to red, earth to yellow, and orange, metal to white, and water to black, blue, and purple.

According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, health and longevity depend on a balance of all five elemental energies. It recommends a diet that includes the five elemental energies every day. For each category of food you must eat all the corresponding colors. So, for example, your daily vegetables should include something green, something red, and so on. Your daily fruit, nut, bean and grain intake should each contain all five colors as well.

Following this rule will have you easily eating your recommended daily amount of veggies, fruit and whole grains. As omnivores the more varied our diet the more nutrients we can gain. So pick up that weird looking fruit or veggie you have fearfully avoided in the grocery store and learn how to cook it.

For the last 70 years scientists have known that the best way to extend the lives of their animal subjects was to decrease their caloric intake by 30-40 percent. While limiting the diet seemed to work wonders on the aging process, researchers had no clue why it worked, until now. Recent studies have begun to discover the mechanisms behind the mystery.

Scientists hypothosize that reducing the amount of food eaten protects cells against aging and age related diseases, due to one of the main organelles contained in all cells. The Mighty Mitochondria (as I learned in biology class).

“Researchers report in the journal Cell that the phenomenon is likely linked to two enzymes—SIRT3 and SIRT4—in mitochondria (the cell’s powerhouse that, among other tasks, converts nutrients to energy). They found that a cascade of reactions triggered by lower caloric intake raises the levels of these enzymes, leading to an increase in the strength and efficiency of the cellular batteries.”~ Scientific American

Overeating is thought to be the major cause of premature aging. According to Paul Pitchford:

“Fifty years of research have shown that when a nourishing diet is eaten sparingly, aging is retarded; the maximum life span and immunity are extended in all animal species so far tested, from protozoa to worms, insects, fish, and rodents as well as humans. In fact, consumption of too much rich and denatured food is responsible for most of our civilized diseases, such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes.”~ Healing With Whole Foods

So what are we to do with all of this great information? To ensure you live a fabulous long life eat as much whole foods as possible and stop eating when you are 2/3rds full. Chewing your food fully and taking your time while eating will allow you to sense how full you really are.