The Healthy Bride

The Happy Bride and Groom

Karen (Healthy Bride) and Sonia (Healthy Goddess)

Please join us for a day that is all about being a Healthy Mom-Goddess.

• 10:30am Workout with Christi Masi of The Healthy Goddess
• 11:30am Nutrition Workshop ‘The Three Principles of Healthy Eating’ with Angela Pifer Nutrition NW
• 12:30pm – 2:30pm OPEN HOUSE – Mom’s can browse the tables and information areas set up in the store:
• Healthy Crepes by Laura from Frog Leg’s Culinary Academy
• Arbonne Anti Aging products- Pamela Greb
• New Born You Massage Co. Chair Massage
• Parent Education by Melissa Benaroya
• Dr. Dave’s Mega-O™ truffles.
• 1:30-2:00pm – American Heart Assoc. Go Red for Women – Mom’s Swing Set Circuit Cards will be for sale with $2 per set going to fund the Go Red for Women campaign.
• 2:30pm Workout with Christi Masi The Healthy Goddess
• 3:30pm Restorative Yoga

Location: lululemon athletica Pacific Place & Gymboree

Mom’s Rejoice! Drop your kids off at Gymboree for story time at 4:30PM on April 1 while you get in a full-body workout with Healthy Bride/Healthy Goddess owner and personal trainer, Christi Masi from 4:30-5:30PM.

Shopping and appetizers to follow . . .

For more information on Christi Masi at The Healthy Goddess, please visit: www.thehealthygoddess.com

We have just started our Vancouver Half Marathon Training Program, so now is the time to start talking about how to fuel up before, during and after those workouts.  The details below are from Angela Pifer, The Healthy Bride’s official nutritionist. 

How to Fuel Up for Your Workouts

To eat or not to eat before early morning workout is a question that is bounced around in many gyms
across America. Some people just don’t have time to eat in reasonable proximity to their workout, but
others deliberately go without food. One client told me she believed she’d burn more fat by exercising
on an empty stomach. Her reasoning was that if no food was available for fuel, her body would tap
into its fat reserves. As it turns out, if your goal is to maximize your workout and get (or maintain) a
lean body, eating, not starving, is your best strategy.

How Food Fuels You. Although your body burns some stored fat when you exercise, its main fuel is
carbohydrate that’s been stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. When your glycogen
stores are depleted, your body will indeed tap more of its fat reserves, just as my client anticipated,
but at what price? Without readily available fuel, you’re not likely to feel too energetic. When you eat
before exercise, whether it’s a large meal several hours in advance or a small snack only minutes ahead
of time, you’ll have the extra energy you need for an effective workout.

Here’s the reason: Before carbohydrate is stored away in your muscles and liver as glycogen, it enters
your bloodstream in the form of glucose (also called blood sugar), a readily available source of energy
that helps perk you up when you’re feeling hungry and fatigued. If the glycogen stored in your muscles
and liver is low, your body can rely on glucose for fuel; if you already have a fair amount of stored
glycogen, your body will use the glucose as a secondary source of energy and spare the glycogen. This
means that you have two sources of fuel as opposed to one, so you’ll have more endurance.

Something else you should consider is that the muscles and liver can only store so much glycogen. It’s
important to “top off” your reserves fairly often, even if you haven’t been doing much. During a long
night’s sleep, the body depletes as much as 80 percent of the glycogen stored in the liver. This is why
eating a little something before you exercise in the morning can really help. Moreover, it doesn’t take
long to deplete stored glycogen during exercise; this process will speed up when it is warm outside.

Here are Some Guidelines that will Help you Fuel Up Around Your Workouts

Pre-Exercise Snack:

Very light fare, only “if needed,” like fresh fruit, whole wheat crackers or whole wheat bread. To
tell whether you might need a pre-workout snack or not, ask these questions:

Do I frequently run out of energy during exercise or my workout?
Do I have a quick metabolism…do I feel the need to eat small amounts of food often?
Do I often not eat enough food for my pre-workout meal? For example, a bowl of cold cereal
with milk at 10:00 won’t give you enough calories to sustain energy through your 1:00PM event.

Suggestions: 100% fruit juice, whole wheat bagel, bread or crackers, dried fruit, energy bar (Luna
or Lara), fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, rice cakes, raisin bread, small smoothie or yogurt. Here is a
snack list to help you pull together a healthy well balanced snack 75% carbohydrate: 25% protein (choose one from each column…the serving sizes listed are general guidelines and will change based on your individual caloric needs).

Carbohydrate List
1 piece fruit 
5-6 whole wheat crackers
1 whole wheat piece of bread/ toast
½ whole wheat pita
¼ C Go Lean Cereal
¼ C high fiber cereal
4-5 pcs dried fruit 1 cup raw vegetables )

Protein List:
2 Tsp nut butter
yogurt (cascade fresh nonfat w/ fruit)
1 svg nuts:9 almonds, 7 pecans, 3 walnuts, 1 macadamia
2-3 oz meat or tuna
1 egg (hardboiled)
1 oz cheese (harder cheese has less fat than soft)
2 T hummus
8 oz milk or soy milk, nonfat or light

Pre-Exercise or Event Meal Plate:
45% grains, breads, pasta, potatoes
5% nuts, cheese, butter, olive oil
35% vegetables and fruits
15% beans, fish, chicken, meat, eggs

What if I exercise first thing in the morning?

If you exercise first thing in the morning, then have your pre-exercise meal the night before, have
a healthy snack before you go to bed and then a snack in the morning. The morning snack is
essential here…eat as early as possible, without interfering with your sleep schedule. At least 30
minutes before your workout, preferably.

Post-Exercise Snack:

By eating here muscle glycogen is synthesized three times faster than if a snack is not eaten here.
This happens for two reasons. The first is that increased blood flow to the muscle cells brings more
nutrients to make glycogen and the second is that muscle cells are more sensitive to the
substances that transform nutrients into glycogen immediately after play.

Aim for a ratio of 75% complex carbohydrates: 25% lean protein. Suggestions: ½ turkey, chicken
or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread or fruit, cheese and whole wheat crackers. Pita and
hummus, gram crackers and peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, rice cakes
with spread, yogurt and fruit.

Hydration:

Are sports drinks necessary? No. You will get more nutrients by drinking water and eating an
apple. Hydration is incredibly important…the focus should be on water. Hydration is not about
being thirsty as much as it is about your body’s need to regulate its temperature, hydrate muscle
cells and remove waste. Carry at least 1 liter of water to each practice or event and make it a habit
of drinking consistently throughout the event. This will ensure you are well hydrated, ready to
perform and ready to recover. Suggestions: diluted juice (8 oz of water to 2 oz juice), seltzer or 100
% juice (sparingly).

Angela Pifer is a Certified Nutritionist, with a MS in nutrition from Bastyr University,
in private practice, specializing in food sensitivities, emotional eating, digestive
conditions, sports nutrition & weight loss. She founded Nutrition Northwest Co in
2005; the premier provider of sound nutrition and wellness advice in the Northwest
with offices in Seattle and Kirkland. Angela has a unique approach to helping her patients create new healthier habits: offering customized nutrition programs that inspire &
educate along with a high degree of support & accountability to help them become fit & fabulous
from the inside out. www.NutritionNorthwest.com Angela Pifer, CN 425-747-5282

Sunday was the perfect day for a hike.  The high temperature was 55 degrees and Seattlites were out en force!  We got off to an early start, so only really felt the crowds on the bottom 1/3 of the trail. 

We were a group of 13, 10 of whom are training to climb Mt. Rainier this summer.  This was our first of many hikes, so we went light and just enjoyed the day.  The trail starts at the edge of Rattlesnake Lake just outside of North Bend.  It starts flat, and then quickly ascends.  There are a few switch backs and before you know it you are at the ledges.  It took us just an hour to reach our destination at 2,079.  We had climbed  1,174 feet from the car and now had a breezy 270-degree view of the Cascades and surrounding valleys, including the nearby well-known Mt. Si.

We all decided we needed more, so we trekked on and upward.  We were soon on snow and our pace slowed.  Once we reached the perfect overlook for our group we stopped and soaked in the sun while enjoying our peek-a-boo view of Mount Rainier. 

We then headed down the trail.  As we made our way closer to the car, the crowds grew.  Seattle is a great place to be when the sun comes out, as everyone heads outdoors.  That is why we love to call this home.

We were back to the car a bit past noon with plenty of time for more activities on a warm, sunny Sunday.

Directions: From Interstate 90 east of North Bend, take Exit 32. Go south off the exit ramp on 436th Avenue Southeast/Cedar Falls Road Southeast and head three miles to reach the park. Just before entering the park gate, turn right into the small Rattlesnake Ledge trailhead parking lot.

Call the Cedar River Watershed Education Center at 206-733-9421. Open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; open on weekends from May 17 until mid-October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information: