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You’re never too old to chase your dreams!
On Monday, 64 year-old Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a protective cage or flippers. That’s more than 100 miles in shark-infested, jellyfish stinging water. Did I mention this was also her fifth attempt? She’s my freaking hero. How often do we give up on our dreams before we even give them a fair chance to grow? How many times did you give up because you failed, or because didn’t want to look stupid? How many times did you settle, or convince yourself that, “it’s not so bad” so you could learn to accept what’s comfortable instead of choosing what’s unknown? If you’re…
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Four Fun, Belly Busting Alternative Exercises
One of the biggest problems many people have besides actually getting their behinds to the gym, is getting bored and stuck in a rut. Running on the treadmill used to seem like fun, until you realized that loca on the machine right next to you, started racing you for no reason. Now what. You did your circuit faithfully. Ab machine, hip machine, leg press. Bored? Yes. Results? Well, unfortunately for you, no. Here are four fun alternative exercises that will keep you on your toes and help you bust that belly.
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Three common fitness and nutrition myths crushed!
Carbs are good. No wait, carbs are bad! Is your head swimming with facts, statistics, and crazy infographics telling you what you should and should not do?
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All those things you’ve always wanted to do, yeah you should do them!
I’m writing this now still with a knot in my stomach, and a very heavy heart. Yesterday I started to get texts and Facebook messages from friends asking me if my sister was ok.
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Save the date FREE Pap Screens in New York City!
I am so happy to announce that on Saturday, May 18, 2013, Tamika & Friends, Inc., New York Chapter, in collaboration with New York Presbyterian Hospital will be providing FREE pap screens to anyone in need.
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What sugar substitute is right for you?
Do you drink bustelo coffee like my Mama Juana, straight black with three heaping spoons of sugar? Or do you live for cookies, shakes, ice cream and all those horribly decadent desserts that have your faja working overtime trying to reign it all in? Sugar is not the enemy. In fact, like Lindsey Lohan, it’s “misunderstood.” Different types of sugar affect our body in different ways, but what really makes it unhealthy is when we consume it in excess amounts.
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A whirlwind of change
Happy Motivation Monday friends! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of change, as new projects and new doors of opportunities come my way. I’ll be honest. I still have moments when anxiety, doubt and frustration try to creep in like a thief in the night and derail everything I’ve been working so hard on. Yes change can be uncomfortable, maybe even scary, but it would be silly to repeatedly do the same thing and expect a different outcome.
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New website for Latino Health
I’m excited to announce that I will be on the advisory board, and also contribute to a new bilingual website dedicated just to Latino health VidaVibrante.com.
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A Few Healthy Eating Tips
I absolutely love infographics! There’s just something about getting a few quick tips that can really make a huge impact on your overall health. It was great to collaborate with these two other health professionals, to come up with some great tips for you to keep in mind. You can also download it by clicking here-> HealthyLunchMenus.com Have a wonderful week! xoxo Helen
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Why do you want to be fit?
That’s one of the first questions I ask anyone who comes to me for help. You want to get fit, be healthier and probably lose some weight during the process, right? However, have you stopped and asked yourself why? Why now? Since I’m constantly reevaluating and updating my own personal short-term and long-term goals, it’s also a question I ask myself constantly.
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Are you an emotional eater?
by hang_in_there Fighting with your overbearing mother. A unexpected visit from your mother-in-law. The guy you’re seeing forgot your birthday…and your name. Cousin Lisa, determined to repopulate the world post-Zombie apocalypse, is having yet another baby. What do you do? You celebrate with a nice big bag of potato chips of course! Except that there must have been a hole in the bottom of the bag, because there’s absolutely no way you could have eaten it all. After all, everyone knows the bags are half-filled with air anyway.
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Because life is short…
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Reinvent Your Health
Do you look in the mirror and don’t like what’s staring back at you? Or do you wish that you felt, or lived a certain way? Then it’s finally time to reinvent your health and life. Before you start any kind of health, fitness or diet plan, you need to clean your emotional house. Here’s another important thing you must do. You must make a conscious decision to take responsibility for your health. This is your life, and this is a lifelong commitment. Stop all the excuses and reasons why you can’t commit to living the life you’ve always wanted. Look back at the times when you started something new.…
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What messages are you telling yourself?
Happy Motivation Monday! Do you ever get frustrated with not seeing results fast enough? Or wonder why things always seem to fall apart, even before it got off the ground? Not too many of us can escape something bad messing up our day every now and then, but it’s how we react to it that determines the ultimate outcome. Sometimes the timing isn’t right, but more often that not, life is the story you’re telling yourself it is. This week ask yourself, are your goals productive or destructive?
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January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
Imagine never being able to have a child not because you choose to, but because you were diagnosed with an advance cancer and need a hysterectomy. Or being happily married for some time and on a routine appointment with your gynecologist, find out you have cancer – caused by a sexually transmitted infection. Or how about needing to cut costs to make ends meet, so you cut your health insurance. Only to find out five years later when you finally go to see your gynecologist than you have cancer. These are the real life stories of women that were diagnosed with cervical cancer, women just like me and you, whose lives were…
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Three ways to reinvent yourself in the New Year
New Years means new beginnings and a chance to start over, or reinvent yourself. Do you feel stuck in a relationship that’s going nowhere? Have a job you hate waking up and going to every morning? Have your skinny jeans been lying in the back of your closet for so long, they have cob webs growing over them? Is this what you’ve always pictured your life would be? Chances are it’s not. That’s why every year we make resolutions and goals. It’s our way of holding on to that little bit of hope we still have left.
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Top 6 Latina Health Bloggers of 2012
Happy holidays friends! The past few days have been a whirlwind of last minute shopping (mental health note: never, ever do that again), packing, traveling, and of course – – eating! The next few days before New Year’s eve I like to keep light. I need space to think about the last year, and plan for the new year.
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You are what you eat!
You are what you eat. How many times have you heard that?? Probably a lot – – because it’s true. You don’t need a crystal ball, or even Miss Cleo to tell you that if you eat like crap, you will probably end up feeling like crap too. Changing our habits is never an easy thing to do, that’s why one of the best ways to help you break those bad habits, is by slowly adding new foods into your diet. Read my latest article in Latina.com on the 5 Healthy Foods That Are Good For You and Your Body. As always, thank you so much for all your support…
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Take care of your body.
We only have one life and one body, so why wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to take care of it?? I was thrilled when one of my health tips was recently published in Shape Magazine. Read my tip, along with seven other great tips for your body here: 8 Best Things You Can Do For Your Body This Summer
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Crown with a purpose.
I confess..I screamed when I saw this 🙂 People always ask me; why am I beauty queen? There are the obvious “fun” things, like attending fashion shows, meeting celebrities, and going to red carpet events. I’m very aware though, that I’m in a unique position to use my title to bring my message to a larger audience. I challenged myself last year to do something more than just fill a pageant requirement, or feed my ego. I pushed myself to go that extra step in order to make a real difference, and contribution to society – what we “pageant girls” in the biz like to call, “a crown with a purpose”. My career…
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I’m on a billboard in Times Square for Dove!
What a great way to start the week. I checked my email this morning, and saw this! I know because I’ve been in a few pageants that people naturally assume that I always thought of myself as being “beautiful”. I can now say confidently as a woman in my 30s, I finally know what that word means. It’s not just about physical beauty, but it’s also about celebrating your strength, triumphs and failures. It’s about being the best you regardless of what anyone else thinks. xoxo Helen
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Three ways to fix your sitting posture today
Long hours sitting in front of your computer day after day can cause long-term effects like pain or decreased motion. Here are three quick things to start doing today to fix your sitting posture today.
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Staying healthy on the Fourth of July
This week most of us will be going to or attending a Fourth of July BBQ. Good food, music and company has always been a part of any great holiday celebration. I’m so excited to be going to one where there will be serving lechón, burgers, and a bunch of other stuff I know I’ll be running miles to burn off. Three of my health tips for the Fourth of July were published in El Diario NY. Take a look at them here: Un 4 de Julio divertido pero seguro
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5 Medical Tests Every Latina Should Have Done Now
It breaks my heart and really irks me when I’m online doing research and read news articles, medical journals, websites and blog posts showing me over and over lists of diseases striking all women, with Latina women near or at the top. In my own family, with members of all different economic and educational backgrounds, I see firsthand the struggles I read about daily. It is easily the most frustrating experience ever trying to explain to my Puerto Rican mother why, no puedes comer arroz blanco cada día si quieres bajar de peso. Or when she looks at me like I’m crazy when she waves her carrot sticks in my face…
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Women’s Health Week
This week is National Women’s Health Week. It’s also now five months since January when many of us made New Year’s resolutions. For most of us, those resolutions included health and wellness goals. This week, even if you got sidetracked and gave up, get yourself back on track. Need some tips to get back on track? Try these: Get up and move. Thirty minutes a day, three times a week. If you’re looking to drop a few pounds, then along with a balanced meal plan, you have to bump up your gym time to four to five times a week. Start off slow and build your endurance (tolerance) up. Take…
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Lessons from my mom
Happy Mother’s Day to you all, whether you’re a mother by birth, a step-parent, foster parent, or (like me) a dog parent. I look at my mother and reflect on how similar and different we are. Like most moms, she annoys me. She will talk me to death at least three octaves above normal if given a chance – but she’s my mother. She’s my living example of how resilient and determined a woman can be, even with multiple obstacles placed in front of them. Here are some of Mama Juana’s best lessons: It’s never too late to start over (reinvent yourself). Which is exactly what she did. She left…
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Keep yourself balanced
With such a busy week ahead of us all, I thought it would be great to remind everyone (especially myself), that balance is key. The road to living a healthier lifestyle will not always be an easy one. It’s ok to splurge – maybe even indulge, but eventually you have to tip the scales back to being even again. Diets are temporary fixes, so forget them. We all have different views on what an ideal body type, lifestyle, or even what being “healthy” actually means. We could also argue all day on what you should look out for. Weight is just a number, however there are some more important numbers to…
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Rules of Life
Can you do these 3 things this week? The “rules” of life and success are so simple. Stop letting doubt and fear hinder you this week. What other rule would you add to this list?Happy Motivation Mondayxo Helen
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Curiosity Killed The Cat
Just kidding! When did we stop being so curious? As a kid we thought nothing of exploring the world around us. We wanted to eat, touch, and ask a million (sometimes annoying) questions. Our minds were not clogged full of expectations and preconceived notions. Then we “grew up” and became adults. We stopped being so curious and turned into these rigid human robots. No more taking risks, no more asking anything other than routine questions. We became like sheep, herded along with the masses. Why, you’re probably asking (while staring at the cat in a pool of blood) is the big deal about being curious? If you only look at…
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My french fry obsession
Looks good to me…. This is a picture that I saw last week posted on my Facebook timeline by a few of my friends. As the story goes, someone decided to do an experiment and wanted to see how long food from McDonald’s lasted. As you can see, it looks about the same as when it was first bought thanks to being filled with more preservatives than Joan Rivers. It was a bad joke, I know! Oh McDonald’s. When I was a kid I would beg my parents to take me there so I could get a happy meal just like all my friends at school did. I wanted to be the owner…