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By Jennifer Vagios, R.D.
APOGEE’s Dietitian

It can sometimes seem daunting to make healthful changes to your diet, but here’s an easy one: Eat almonds. These nuts are tasty, satisfying and packed with vitamins, healthful fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Almonds make a simple snack and—with just a sprinkle—add protein and fiber to salads, cereals, smoothies, even roasted fish and meats. 

These are the reasons we’ve chosen to feature almonds this month.

With their mix of fat and protein, you’ll probably notice that almonds satisfy your hunger right away. They have 163 calories and six grams of protein per ounce, with 13 grams of healthful, unsaturated fat and no cholesterol. Studies suggest that these little nuts are good for controlling blood sugar: Keep a baggie-full in your car glove box or desk drawer to stave off those low moments. Include almonds regularly in your diet and you’ll also boost your levels of copper, B2 and magnesium—nutrients involved in energy metabolism. Almonds are also good for your gut: In one study, they encouraged the growth of healthful intestinal bacteria.

In the long term, people who eat nuts have lower LDL cholesterol, reducing their risk of heart disease. In a group of studies, people who included nuts in their diet four times a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts. Each additional serving of nuts per week was associated with an average 8.3% reduced risk of coronary heart disease.

Go Nuts!
Buy a bag of raw (preferably) or dry-roasted almonds and keep them tightly sealed in a cool, dry, dark place: In your freezer, almonds will keep fresh for up to a year. Invest in slivered or sliced almonds as well; they’re easier to mix into salads and other grain dishes. Choose almonds with the brown skin still on; the skin and meat combination delivers more than double the antioxidants than the meat alone. Keep your almond butter in the fridge, too, to keep it fresh: You can easily make your own with just almonds and a food processor or blender.

I’ve found these easy ways to add almonds to my favorite meals.

Hot cereal: Add 1 Tablespoon of almond butter to your hot cereal in the morning—I mix it into hot oatmeal or spelt flake cereal.

Cool smoothie: Add 1 Tablespoon of almond butter to a smoothie: Put 1 banana (cut into chunks), 4 to 6 ounces of your choice of milk (cow, soy or almond), 1 Tablespoon of almond butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, cinnamon to taste and ice (as needed) into a food processor for a nutritious breakfast or snack.

Crunchy coating: To add taste and nutrition to fish, chicken or pork, mix crushed or sliced almonds with whole wheat panko bread crumbs (I use Ian’s), then dip the meat into canola or egg whites, then into the almond-crumb mix. Flavor to taste with pepper and bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the meat.

Salad sprinkles: On a lettuce, spinach or grain salad, toss a handful of slivered, sliced or chopped almonds.

In this month of March, look in the APOGEE Cafe in White Plains and Bedford Hills for snacks and take-out meals that feature almonds.

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APOGEE Anniversary Facebook Contest
Prizes Every Week, plus One Grand Prize!

March is the one-year anniversary of APOGEE White Plains and we’re planning a month-long celebration. It’s also been one year since we started bringing you wellness information from APOGEE instructors and staff on this blog.

And this blog is where our anniversary celebration starts. Twice a week we’ll be posting a question in this blog space and on our Facebook and Twitter accounts: 10 questions in all. The answers can be found somewhere in our blog entries—just hit the “older entries” arrow at the bottom of each blog post or use the “Categories” or “Archives” lists on the right to delve into the blog history to find your answer.

Post your answer on our Facebook page as a comment. There is more than one answer to each question, so be sure to post an answer even if someone else has already submitted one.

Daily Prizes: We’ll draw one winner from all of the answers posted to each question–prizes include skincare products from the APOGEE line and clothing from the APOGEE Shop.

Weekly Prizes: At the end of each week, we’ll draw one winner from all of the entries posted that week—prizes include massage sessions, nutrition and life coaching consultations, private Pilates and fitness sessions and café and retail credit.

Grand Prize: Our Grand Prize is a three-month APOGEE membership! We’ll draw one Grand Prize winner from all of the entries from the month on March 31.

The more questions you answer, the more chances you have to win!

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By Deborah Slade, APOGEE Pilates Instructor 

Yes, and in fact, Pilates is one of the best exercise regimens you can practice during pregnancy. Because Pilates is designed to strengthen the abdominals, back and pelvic floor muscles, it provides wonderful support during the months that your body is changing. Also, the kind of breathing practiced in Pilates (posterior lateral breathing) helps create room for the baby to grow. In fact, Pilates conditions the entire body in a way that can help prepare you for labor and the physical demands of new motherhood. 

While pregnancy is not the time to start a new exercise regimen, if you are already a Pilates student you can work safely right up until delivery. Since you’ll need to adapt your workout somewhat as your body changes, we recommend that you work with a Pilates instructor who has training and experience with working with pregnant women. Here’s what you can expect during your pregnancy Pilates workouts: 

First Trimester
Assuming the pregnancy is healthy, your Pilates workout does not have to change during the first trimester. But, it probably will if you suffer from the fatigue and nausea that so many women experience. The key is to listen to your body. On some days you may be able to handle a vigorous workout, while on others you might need stretching and relaxation. Since the waist is already expanding, abdominal exercises are often more difficult to execute, which may mean modifying your positions or reducing the number of repetitions. You should never exercise to the point of exhaustion since this will diminish the oxygen supply to you and the baby, rest on extremely hot days, and make sure to eat well and stay hydrated. 

Second Trimester
By the second trimester, you may feel better and more energized. If so, your Pilates workout can return to its original intensity, even if positions change. Prone exercises are still safe, but many mothers-to-be feel uncomfortable lying on their stomachs by this time. Since the weight of the fetus can compress a large vein when lying on your back, you’ll do no more than two supine exercises in a row—elevating the head with a small pillow if you experience any dizziness. Toward the fifth and six months, movements that compress the abdomen will be replaced by those that stabilize the hamstrings, gluteus, inner thigh and back muscles. And, you’ll take extra care while stretching since the ligaments are starting to get extremely loose as your hormones prepare your body for labor. 

Third Trimester
Moderation is the key for the third trimester. With a large belly now in the way and lower energy levels, your workout will be restricted. But, it can still include all of the apparatus and be very thorough and effective. Like from the start, it’s all about listening to your body so you don’t over-tax yourself or the baby. The sessions can be shorter and include lots of standing work to improve balance, as well as gentle stretches and relaxation exercises to keep you fit and positive until the big day. 

No two pregnancies are alike. One of the beauties of Pilates is that a workout can accommodate any skill level and change in the body during a normal pregnancy. With the guidance of an experienced instructor, you’ll be in the best shape of your life as you face one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of your life. 

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Bridge Pose

By Sarah Landis, APOGEE Yoga Instructor

Backbending has many benefits, not least of which are the uplifting feelings the movement generates. After a backbend, you may feel physically and mentally energized. The pose opens your chest and your lungs, creating more space for the breath. Backbends stretch your  shoulders, abdominals, hips and thighs and the group of abdominal nerves known as the solar plexus. Backbending stimulates the abdominal organs, improving digestion and relieving menstrual discomfort. Depending on the position of the chin, backbends can stimulate or sooth the thyroid gland, which controls metabolism. Practice backbends regularly, and you will strengthen your back and increase mobility in your spine.

If I were to practice only one backbend, it would be setu bandha sarvangasana, bridge pose. This pose can be active, even performed with one leg raised. Or, you can support your hips with a block for a restful, restorative posture. In bridge pose, the lungs are also inverted, making this a beautiful pose for moving out chest colds.

•    To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on your mat just in front of your sits bones, arms by your sides. Make sure the feet are parallel. If this is difficult, place a block between your big toes and maintain that contact throughout the pose.

•    Press down through the feet and arms to lift the hips until the thighs are approaching parallel to the floor. Your feet should be under your knees. Draw the tailbone toward the backs of the knees and lift the pubic bone in the direction of the navel. These actions will help elongate and protect the lower back.

•    Snuggle one shoulder, then the other, underneath you onto the back. Be mindful not to move the shoulders toward the feet, which could strain the neck. Pressing the back of the skull into the mat will help maintain the natural curve in the neck.

•    Now that you are in the pose, breathe. Imagine you are filling your lungs with helium and let your full, light lungs ascend, bringing the chest a little closer to the chin. Continue to breathe deeply and explore how it feels to breathe with the lungs inverted for the next 30 seconds to one minute.

Restorative Variation
To practice a restorative version of setu bandha, place a block under your sacrum at the base of the pelvis. Notice that by turning the block you can create three levels. Choose the highest level that still allows you to stay in the pose without tenderness in the lower back. Stay in this variation for five minutes.

For more heart-opening yoga poses, join Sarah Landis on Sunday, February 21, for an Open Your Heart yoga workshop, from noon to 2:00 pm at APOGEE Bedford Hills. Details here.

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One the most fabulous gifts you can give—or receive—is to touch or be touched.  Hugs, handshakes, taking someone’s arm—simple touches like these have been proven to lower blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol and even boost the immune system.

Massage is one way of systematically touching someone and, with practice, it can release muscle tension as well. APOGEE’s massage therapist Orlando Ocasio recommends sharing a foot massage. It’s nice to give your partner a foot rub; try it with your children as well. Here is Orlando’s recipe for a 20-minute foot massage that anyone can master.

1. Choose a place where your partner can sit or lie down and be warm, relaxed and comfortable. Warm some lotion or massage oil to skin temperature; test the temperature on the inside of your wrist. Put the lotion or oil on your hands so they will glide on your partner’s skin.
2. Begin by holding one of your partner’s feet in your hands; cover the other foot with a blanket or towel. Using long gliding strokes that barely touch the skin, stroke the top of the foot from the ankle toward the toes for about a minute. Then, with the same light touch, stroke the bottom of the foot, from the heel to the toe for another minute.
3. Repeat the same strokes, but apply 10 percent more pressure. After a minute, apply 10 percent more pressure, then increase the pressure a third time.  Each time you begin to apply more pressure, ask permission. You can say something such as, “Is this OK? Does this feel good?” By the third round, you should be pressing beyond the skin layer.
4. Using this deepest pressure, put one thumb on top of the other and press into the ball of the foot, using short upward and downward movements. Move to the arch, using both thumbs to stroke toward the toes.
5. With the palm of your hand, cup your partner’s heel and wave your hand, pressing into the heel with a back and forth motion.
6. With the soft part of your thumb, press the bottom of each toe. Then, with your thumb and forefinger, gently grasp each toe.
7. End with the same long, light strokes that you began with, stroking from ankle to toes, on the top and bottom of the foot.
8. Cover or wrap this foot and then massage the other foot in the same way.

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