Blog Posts by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance

People tend to focus on nutrition and dieting when they want to be healthy, but eating well is only one part of the equation. Incorporating small, yet effective changes in all aspects of your life can make a big impact. Add one change below per week, to make it easy to do...

1. Hydrate. Approximately 65 percent water, our bodies require substantial replenishment of H2O to function properly. Proper hydration flushes toxins, ensures proper digestive and body functions, curbs hunger and helps fight aging. Opt to drink water (you can add lemon, cucumber or a splash of juice for flavor), unsweetened green tea or club soda.
2. Sleep. Adequate sleep is highly beneficial to your health as well as your waistline. Those who get seven to eight hours of sleep each night tend to weigh less than individuals who are sleep deprived. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up the same time every morning.
3. Strength Train and Exercise. Strength, cardio and flexibility

A long time favorite of the beloved Bugs Bunny, carrots are emblematic of fall and winter. Root vegetables are particularly in-season during cold weather, as they are protected by the earth from the colder temperatures.

Health Benefits:

1. I Spy with My Little Eye: Carrots are high in beta-carotene which helps to protect vision, especially night vision, as well as provides protection against macular degeneration and senile cataracts.
2. Heart Protection: Carrots are very high in carotenoids, a type of antioxidant. Studies have shown that diets high in carotenoids showed reduced risk of heart disease.
3. Cancer Prevention: Also, because of their high antioxidant content, carrots are helpful in reducing risk for breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer among others.
4. Healthy Lungs: Diets deficient in Vitamin-A are said to potentially increase chances of emphysema…especially in those who smoke, or who are often exposed to

Starting with Thanksgiving, the holiday season gives us reason (or an excuse) to celebrate and indulge. Some of us are great at managing the amount of celebrating we do, and some of us are not so good. The worst, however, is waking up the day after New Year's, dumbfounded as to how we gained ten pounds in a month and a half. If you are hoping to avoid this scenario, be proactive! Here's a plan to help you enjoy, while not overdoing it:


1. 6:1 Weekly Calendar. Create a holiday event calendar where non-event days are color-coded light blue and event days are color-coded bright red and weeks with multiple events bright yellow. Events include extended family dinners, work and social parties, and happy hours. When possible, aim to have no more than one "event" a week…or a 6:1 ratio of healthy days to indulgent days.

2. Plan for the 5:2 or more Weeks: Weeks that are at higher ratios than the 6:1, can cause us to "blend" one celebration into another, and before you know it, we eat as though

Most people have a sense of what is and isn't appropriate when it comes to respecting boundaries. However, we are bound to find individuals who don't. As much as we strive for healthy relationships, we inevitably encounter individuals who are bullies, toxic or just plain manipulative. Many of these people have little-to-no self-awareness and feel that they are fully entitled or appropriate in their behavior. And what's worse is that they frequently get away with it because others don't stand up to them. This convinces them that their behavior is acceptable. Here's a news flash: It ISN'T.

The best thing you can do is firmly establish boundaries. You'll feel better about yourself and your relationship. Further, you won't have to succumb to their inappropriate behavior over and over again:

1. Know Who You Are Dealing with: The first step in this process is to identify those individuals who don't respect your boundaries. Doing so will keep you on the look-out for times that boundaries

"Diet foods" have become somewhat rampant in the market. With everyone desperate to lose weight, marketers have thrived on using labels and terms to trick the consumer into thinking that their products are "oh-so-healthy"…even when they aren't.

Diet foods are lower caloric versions of their high-calorie cousins, often made by reducing the sugar and/or fat content. Reduced sugar foods and beverages are often loaded with highly-processed, chemically-derived sugar substitutes; reduced fat foods usually have a lot of added sugars. Both options require additives and processing that are best avoided. If you find something that is BOTH fat-free and sugar-free, you are then dealing with artificial sweeteners and other chemicals to make up for the lack in fat or sugar.

Understanding nutrition labels and the nutrient claims on packaged diet foods will help you to get a better sense for what the label is REALLY telling you.

When using oils, most of us have been taught to use those that are healthiest…Olive Oil, Canola Oil and those that contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. This, obviously, is very important. But, the way the oil is extracted is also important to our health.

Have you ever had olive oil that was really flavorful and tasty…and then, had olive oil somewhere else that seemed light and especially bland? Beyond the fact that there is a difference between "Extra-Virgin Olive Oil" (EVOO) and plain olive oil, (EVOO is more pure than ordinary olive oil) there is another reason for that. Just as we should avoid foods that are highly processed or refined, it is best to avoid oils that are as well. Many oils are extracted from seeds, nuts, plants and vegetables by using a heating process or a chemical process, using the chemical hexane. Heat can degrade the flavor, change the nutritional value and affect the color of oils. While hexane, a petrochemical also used as a paint diluent and

Most people think that drinking water is healthy and safe. Unfortunately, it may not be as healthful as you would think. Recently, the E.P.A. has been under investigation for not properly enforcing the Clean Water Act. Water in various regions contain toxic levels of chemicals and substances, including: arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and nickel, amongst others. These substances are at high enough levels that they may increase your risk for developing cancer, skin disorders, kidney and nervous system problems, and other health issues.

This, however, doesn't mean you should stop drinking water. After all, drinking water is very important to our health. So, what can you do to ensure your water is safe?

1. Check Online: Use this interactive map to find out how your local area is doing in regards to its water supply.
2. Municipal Report Card: You can get a municipal water report or consumer confidence report from your local city. Your town or city is required by law to

Let's face it: All of us have emotional "baggage." Each of our "bags" differs from other people's, but whether or not we like to admit it…we all have it. "Baggage" makes us who we are. Without it, many of us wouldn't have our "quirks," our endearing qualities or our unique perspectives. At the same time, however, "baggage" can cause us to have "issues" that we have to grapple with for the long-haul.

Although most of our "baggage" is far from humorous, it is easy to find the humor in the analogy. Granted, the order in which we experience the following during travel may not be accurate, but the concepts sure do ring true!

1. Check Your Bags: Do you want to carry your "baggage" with you wherever you go? Or, would you rather check it, so that you can be free from it until you need it?

• Real Life Takeaway: If you know or accept that you have "baggage," decide what you'd like to do about it. Some of our "baggage" will stay with us for the rest of our lives, but, more likely than