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We know that APOGEE members are making wellness a daily habit and improving their health. And while we’re busy planning festivities for APOGEE’s one-year anniversary in Westchester this month,  what we’re really celebrating is our members and what you have accomplished. White Plains member Carolyn Gomez is one shining example of how dedication to wellness for one year can transform you. Congratulations to Carolyn for making healthful changes that count! Here’s her story:

When a friend told Carolyn about a new place to work out that was just a few blocks from the courthouse where they work in White Plains, Carolyn didn’t think much of it. After all, she’d had a gym membership before and it hadn’t made a difference in her life. Still, she was intrigued. “It’s fun,” Meredith Byrne told her.

That conversation was a year ago and now, stronger, straighter and 40 pounds lighter, Carolyn knows that the right place can make a huge difference. “APOGEE isn’t just a gym,” Carolyn says. “It’s a whole wellness center. I was never successful with a straight-on gym.”

With Meredith, Carolyn became an APOGEE member—one of the first at the White Plains location, which opened in March 2009. She started taking a beginner’s Pilates mat class, added more mat classes, then expanded to the MVE Chair and Tower. “There are new classes on the schedule all the time and that makes it fun,” Carolyn says. She recently added a yoga class. 

With her membership, Carolyn received a free consultation with APOGEE dietitian Jennifer Vagios, who advised Carolyn on calorie counts and incorporating more fruits and vegetables. Carolyn often stops at the APOGEE Café for a healthy meal. “It’s easy because the food is there, already prepared,” Carolyn says. “I can grab it and take it back to work.”  Jennifer also recommended that Carolyn add more cardio to her schedule—now she does 30 minutes on the bicycle and treadmills after her evening Pilates or yoga classes.

Everyone at APOGEE contributed to Carolyn’s transformation, she says. “Even in a group class the instructors give individual attention,” she says. “They are very motivating and make the classes fun.”  When Carolyn mentioned to her Tower class instructor Dorothy that she wants to tone her arms for her July wedding, “Dorothy gave me five exercises that I can do right away,” Carolyn says. Just as important are the wellness concierges who know her name and check her in quickly. “That’s so important when I’m coming to class during my lunch hour and don’t have much time,” she says. “And they create a friendly environment.”

Carolyn experiences the change in her body every day, at work and at the wellness center during class. “My core in stronger and my posture is straighter,” Carolyn says.  Now she knows how to achieve true wellness. “I feel a lot stronger and healthier all the time,” Carolyn says, “even just walking down the street!”

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!