Halloween has been totally hijacked by ecologically damaging consumerism. From the expensive shop-bought costumes made from petroleum based materials and the plastic pumpkins to the chemical-laden sweets and the toxic face paints, we spend our money on things that damage our children’s health and our planet. I know, so far I sound like a party pooper. But with a little thought, you can have a Halloween that doesn’t cost the earth, your health, or your pocket. And you’ll have a lot more fun.

Fabulously freaky costumes can be created from clothing found at thrift stores or the back of your wardrobe. Is there an old sheet dying to be a ghost? A dark shawl? A black paper hat and a branch saved from the bonfire would make a fine witch. With a few ribbons, some feathers, safety pins, or even recycled tin foil, you and your children are all set for a creative afternoon’s work! You will feed their imaginations, and their sense of achievement will far exceed any “perfect” off-the-peg creation.

Use cardboard from old boxes, paint, and decorations to make masks. If you choose to use face paint, there are some lovely natural, plant-based versions on the market. Try Lyra face paints, which come in pencil, crayon, or paint.

Next comes the Halloween centre piece: the pumpkin. Think of how many fields were devoted to growing pumpkins this year, most of them sprayed with pesticides. An organic pumpkin, especially at this time of year, will barely cost you more. Not only will your choice make a statement to the growers, you’ll have all the scrapings from inside your pumpkin for a yummy meal after trick-or -treating.

For a quick delicious soup, just add water, milk, and nutmeg to the pulp. Heat and blend. Even the seeds are great roasted with some Eco-friendly Costume soy sauce or salt. Younger children love to rinse the slimy seeds in a colander. You could even create a longer-term project with the kids by saving a handful of seeds, drying them in paper bag in a warm dry place, and planting them in the spring for next year.

Conventional pumpkins will probably be hybrids, with seeds that won’t reproduce properly if they grow at all.

Halloween was originally a festival to mark the end of the growing season and the beginning of the dark, ‘dead’ months ahead. So surround yourself with the last of the year’s bright outdoor colours! To decorate your house, take a walk in the woods. Fallen tree boughs, moss, bright fall leaves, and apples will look wonderful. So will paper garlands cut in ghoulish shapes, made from paper scraps you have saved.

You can even cut your electric costs for the night by turning off the lights and filling the room with candles. Choose deliciously scented beeswax candles rather than petroleum-based ones. Just keep them safe from the children and all those lovingly-made paper garlands!

Last but certainly not least, come the candies and treats. Most of today’s Halloween candy comes heavily packaged. Some of it is made with genetically modified foods, and most of it is full of artificial colours, flavorings, and preservatives. But there are plenty of great alternatives nowadays, available in natural food supermarkets or online. My favorite is Yummy Earth’s organic candies, which come in so many fantastic, natural flavors. You could also try your hand at homemade candy apples for some sticky fun. Roasted nuts are a great

First blend to a cream:

• ½ cup   macadamia nuts
• ½ cup  walnuts
• ¼ cup  water
• 2  tbsp  fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp  chili powder
• 2 tsp  sea salt

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add:

• ½ cup  chopped watercress
• ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
• 4  chopped cherry tomatoes
• 2  wedges yellow tomato chopped into cubes

Mix well and refrigerate.

To serve, cut the top off of a medium size tomato. Scoop out inside to make a “tomato cup”. Chop up the insides and add to the macadamia walnut cream. Place 2 endive leaves, a pinch of watercress, and blades of chive in the tomato cup. Fill  with the Macadamia Walnut Cream. Top with a sprinkle of black pepper, chopped walnuts, and a cherry tomato. Serve on a bed of water cress drizzled with lemon and olive oil.

• 2 cups  pecans – soak 2 cups of pecans overnight. Rinse, then dehydrate until crunchy (usually overnight)
• 1 and ½ cup  dates – soak dates for 20 minutes
• 2 cups  pumpkin meat – scrape out pumpkin meat (no peel) and remove seeds
• ½  cup  coconut oil
• ¾ cup  meat scraped from a young coconut
• 1 tsp  cinnamon
• 1 tsp  fresh grated gingerroot
• ½  tsp  cloves
• ½  tsp  nutmeg
• ½  tsp  allspice
• 1/3   cup  water from a young coconut

Combine pecans and ½ cup dates in a food processor and mix until uniform. Press mixture into pie pan to form crust.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree. Spoon into crust and serve.

Though the commercial said “It’s OK in moderation,” most Americans do NOT ingest a moderate amount of high fructose corn syrup. This sweetener is used in so many refined products, it’s actually difficult to find processed foods that don’t contain it. Take a look at breads, sauces, hot dogs, candy, crackers, frozen dinners, pizza, juice, and soda to see how prevalent it is. It is often listed as one of the first ingredients (remember ingredients are listed by highest content). Because high fructose corn syrup is easy to transport and inexpensive compared to refined sugar, (thanks to federal subsidies and tariffs on imported sugar), high fructose corn syrup is the sweetener used in more than 40% of sweetened foods and beverages and nearly 100% of the time in the non-diet soft drinks sold in the United States. If you eat processed foods, you definitely consume more than a moderate amount of high fructose corn syrup.

OLM gives you the rest of the story on high fructose corn syrup…

High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Not Just Fructose

High fructose corn syrup is made by treating corn (typically genetically modified corn) with a variety of enzymes (many of which are also genetically modified) to first extract the sugar glucose and then convert some of it into fructose (fructose is sweeter than glucose). The end result is approximately 55% fructose and 45% glucose.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Not Natural

In April 2008, the FDA declared that any product containing high fructose corn syrup could not be considered ‘natural’ and should not be labeled as such, because high fructose corn syrup is manufactured using a synthetic fixing agent. Under pressure from lobbyists hired by the Corn Refiners Association, the FDA quickly changed its mind. Now the FDA says that if the synthetic agent – called glutaraldehyde – does not come into contact with the high-dextrose corn starch, it can be considered natural. But there is nothing natural about high fructose corn syrup. It’s made in vats of murky fermenting liquid with fungus and genetically modified organisms, all of which are changed through the use of chemicals. There are a lot of products that are called “natural” though they are far from it, but high fructose corn syrup may be the biggest imposter of all these “natural” foods.

Fructose Makes You Fat

There has been a rapid increase in obesity following the introduction and increase of high fructose corn syrup into the American diet. Excess fructose (and it doesn’t take much to be excessive) is converted into unhealthy fat.

High fructose corn syrup short-circuits the glycolytic pathway for glucose and does not stimulate insulin secretion. Insulin controls a hormone called leptin, which signals the brain to tell your body it’s full. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels and no feeling of satiety. Also, fructose does not affect ghrelin, a hunger inducing hormone, which is normally suppressed with food.

Natural fructose from fruit is attached to fiber and is ingested in considerably smaller amounts, which cause the sugar to be released slowly into the body while the fiber makes you feel full.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Linked to Diabetes, High Cholesterol, and Heart Disease

In natural sugars, fructose is bound to other sugars. High fructose corn syrup contains unbound fructose, often in large amounts. Unlike glucose, which can be metabolized by every cell in the body, fructose can be metabolized only by the liver. When too much fructose enters the liver at one time, the liver can’t process it as a sugar; it converts it into cholesterol and triglycerides, which are in turn dumped into the bloodstream. The more fat and cholesterol your blood has to transport, the higher your blood pressure needs to be to get the job done. (Imagine a pump that has to move thicker liquid.) High levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. High triglyceride levels also cause our body’s cells to become insulin resistant. If enough cells are insulin resistant, diabetes will result.

Free fructose is also linked to blood clots, interference with the heart’s use of key minerals, functions of white blood cells, and high levels of uric acid. 

If you want to lose weight, lower your LDL cholesterol, lower you triglycerides, decrease your risk factors, treat, or reverse diabetes or heart disease, eliminating high fructose corn syrup from your diet is imperative – the first action you should take.

The Digestion of High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Hard On the Body

Acidic “foods”, which are void of nutrition, wreak havoc on the body. To compensate, the body will pull calcium and other minerals from our bones, teeth, and organs to keep our blood slightly alkaline. Enzymes must be produced to metabolize high fructose corn syrup and micro-nutrients must be utilized. High fructose corn syrup causes mineral imbalances and deficiencies, which can cause a host of other diseases and health problems.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Can Alter Magnesium Balance Leading to an Increased Risk of Osteoporosis

High Fructose Corn Syrup inhibits copper metabolism leading to both a deficiency of copper and copper toxicity (if you can’t metabolize the copper, it becomes toxic to your body), which can cause increased bone fragility, anemia, ischemic heart disease, defective connective tissue formation, gray hair, hair loss, and much more.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Accelerates Aging

Any food that is difficult to metabolize (foods void of nutrients or low in nutrients, acidic foods, foods low in enzymes, etc.) depletes the body’s store of minerals, vitamins, and enzymes causing every other body system to function improperly, accelerating aging in every way.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Bad for the Environment

Corn is generally grown as a monoculture crop (one crop planted over a large area with no diversity and usually without crop rotation). This maximizes yields, but at a price. Soil nutrients are depleted so farmers compensate with fertilizer and pesticides. Topsoil is weakened. Demand for corn is increasing due to the manufacture of high fructose corn syrup and corn-based ethanol. Corn is being planted world-wide at the expense of sustainable food crops in third world countries. Farmers throughout the world, who once produced a variety of food to feed their populations, are now growing one crop to ship to America–genetically modified corn.

Living an Organic Lifestyle – Letter From the Editor

Ask OLM

Training and Your Heart Rate

Yoga – A Beginner’s Guide

Everything You Should Know About Fat

How to Shave Without Razor Bumps or Burn

Vitamins and Minerals

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Acidity and Alkalinity Balance

Meat Eater Guilt Trip

I don’t live a perfect organic lifestyle. I don’t always eat exactly what I should. I miss workouts. Sometimes I drink alcohol, though I don’t believe even one glass of red wine is good for me. But I am careful with my health. I never get sick. Not at all. I don’t have allergies. And while I’m not in perfect condition, I do balance out my poor health choices with good ones. 

A lot of people get so focused on one thing, they get stuck and miss the big picture. Even health care practitioners are guilty of this. One feels that the most important thing is to make sure your body is slightly alkaline. Another says that if you cut out all of the refined sugar in your diet all of your health problems will be solved. Yet another is only concerned with essential fatty acids. This isn’t a balanced outlook on health. 

On the other hand, you could get radical. You could move out of the toxic box we all call home and build an eco-friendly toxin free house in the country. You could breathe clean air and (if you’re lucky) drink clean water. You could avoid all plastics, synthetics, chemicals, and fragrances. You could grow all of your own food. 

Or you can do your best to live a balanced lifestyle, learn the truth about health, and be healthier than anyone you know. 

You can rid your body of allergies, disease, aches and pains, and most other ailments. You can clear your head. You can increase your energy. You could learn how to eat perfectly and try each day to meet that goal. You could be balanced. Even if you aren’t perfect, you could achieve a level of health our modern medical profession thinks to be impossible. 

OLM may appear to be a radical magazine to some, but it’s not. Although I believe in everything OLM says about health, as I said, I don’t live a perfect organic lifestyle. I don’t know how far I will take it, but I make healthier choices each day. I am healthy, happy, and full of energy.

What are your goals? Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to live to be 100 or more without aches, pains, or disease? It’s possible—challenging in today’s modern society, but it can be done.    

A diet consisting of 80% raw fresh fruits and vegetables (or more) may seem unusual, but it’s really just a basic foundation for health. Making sure your diet is alkaline, rich in the right balance of essential fatty acids, and low in toxins is much easier when you focus on raw, fresh, organic produce.

You have to find what works for and your lifestyle. Learn everything you can, radical or not. Knowledge is power, and your health will always be your responsibility—no one else’s. 

I can promise you that each step you take on the path to an organic lifestyle will improve your health. Identify your goals. Incorporate what you can. But above all, find your balance.

Sincerely,

Michael Edwards

Editor in Chief

Recovering Alcoholic

I am a recovering alcoholic (been sober for 3 years and 5 months now). Lately I am craving alcohol, a lot. I wonder if I might be deficient in a nutrient or if this is an emotional issue, though I am not sure what. My life has really been pretty decent lately.

RYAN HARRISON ANSWERS: Addictions of any kind are a very tricky matter, as anyone recovering from one will tell you. There are all kinds of angles to consider: every addiction has several aspects in play including physical, psychological, social, and cultural. To successfully overcome an addiction, each aspect needs to be addressed and healed. That you have been sober for 3+ years is wonderful news and a testament that you have done some good healing work – well done!

And yet, as you notice, cravings can certainly come back to dog your steps. There can be different reasons for this, chief among them psychological and biochemical.

In the former, a personality that has utilized alcohol in the past to soothe mental or emotional upset may certainly have established unhealthy psychological responses, sort of like mental “muscle memory”. The unpleasant emotional stimulus arises and the emotional body responds as it had learned in the past by craving the substance once used to numb it. For such unhealthy psychological processes, I highly recommend the use of energy psychology, especially Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is a remarkably simple-yet-effective ancillary therapy based on the energy system utilized in acupressure and acupuncture. It is especially powerful when applied to psychological and emotional disturbances, including addictions and cravings. I can’t recommend it highly enough, though I strongly suggest working with a qualified EFT Practitioner. While the technique is relatively easy to learn and apply, the help of a skilled practitioner will multiply your odds for success.

On the biochemical side of the craving/addiction coin, you should know that people with alcoholism tend to have a blood-sugar imbalance and candidiasis (an overgrowth of Candida albicans, an “unfriendly” bacteria naturally found in the intestines). These two conditions actually increase alcoholic cravings, so working to improve them should be top priority. Where blood sugar is related, you should move from fast-burning, simple carbohydrates to the longer-burning, complex kind. Decrease your consumption of simple sugars and stay away from anything with high fructose corn syrup. Drink plenty of purified water, and get adequate daily exercise. Consume a variety of organic, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. This will help your body bring itself back into balance and raise your overall level of energy. Additionally, taking 200 mcg of chromium two to three times daily can help reduce sugar and possibly alcohol cravings. Taking 500-1,000 mg of encapsulated cinnamon also helps level out blood sugar, especially if taken before each meal.

If candidiasis is suspected, a detoxification program is in order. Not surprisingly, when people undertake a thorough detoxification, addictions and cravings of all sorts drop away with relative ease as the body “remembers” what it really wants as far as food/fuel and stops craving the junk foods that have been sustaining (or poisoning) it for so long.

It takes some willpower to fight and beat candidiasis, but it can be done. My suggestions include finding an all-natural fiber supplement that provides at least 12-24 g of fiber daily. A high-potency, whole food-derived multivitamin/mineral supplement will supply your body with the combination of vitamins and minerals it needs to detoxify. Taking 250-500 mg of milk thistle three times daily helps the liver detoxify and rejuvenate itself. And a good B-vitamin complex is recommended, as well, as the body requires many of the B-vitamins for detoxification. Also, perhaps second in importance to the fiber, be sure you take a high-potency, multi-strain, enteric coated probiotic to help repopulate your intestines with “friendly” bacteria, tipping the scales back in their favor.

Finally, it bears mentioning that there may certainly be a neurochemical component to your addiction and addictive cravings. Research has suggested that much addictive behavior is actually regulated by the dopamine-serotonin relationship in the brain. In general, too much dopamine accentuates cravings; serotonin, on the other hand, signals the brain to stop producing dopamine, and produces a feeling of satiety. So, taking 100 mg of 5-HTP (a serotonin precursor) three times daily on an empty stomach may help reduce cravings from a neurotransmitter perspective.

Detox

I want to do a detox, but I have mercury fillings in my teeth. I can’t afford to get them out yet. Should I wait to do the detox, or should I make an adjustment because of the mercury in my mouth?

Danny

DR. SHILLINGTON ANSWERS: This is a good question and I’ve been asked it many times in the past. It is best to do a complete total body cleanse NOW rather than waiting until after the mercury is removed. Usually, teeth with mercury fillings in them leach this toxic heavy metal into one’s system slowly over the years and the accumulated build-up in the brain and other organs is what eventually gets one into a state of ill health. A complete detox (done correctly) removes massive amounts of toxins, including these heavy metals within a 28 day time frame, giving instant relief from the toxicity. One can then plan out the removal of the mercury fillings over the next several months. After this has been completed, another full detox is in order to clean up any residues along with the Novocain used in the procedure.

Yours in Knowledge, Health, and Freedom,

Doc

Raw Sweeteners

What are your favorite sweeteners? I make a lot of raw food dishes for a reluctant family with a sweet tooth.
Kind Regards,

Amy

RAW CHEF DAN ANSWERS: I use a lot of sweeteners depending on what dish it is and who it is for. Many times when I am making food for an event or by contract there are already considerations like Veganism, kosher, non agave eaters…

Stevia is always an acceptable sweetener for everyone from diabetics to vegans; however, I find its flavor to be thin, almost like a saccharine. It is very sweet but has very little flavor and I find myself adding more salt to a dish to bring out the sweetness. Also, different brands and the form it comes in can vary greatly. A raw stevia powder is available and although sweet it can have a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste especially if it is a green powder. Some of the liquid (tinctures) can also have a bit of a bitter overtone. In my experience, Wisdom Of The Ancients Steviaclear Extract and NOW Stevia Glycerite are good brands that taste great. Stevia is very concentrated and a little goes a long way. So if I need my product to be on the dryer side, stevia is the obvious choice. Other sweeteners like honey or agave can add too much liquid to a recipe where it is not wanted. Stevia is also very low on the glycemic index and often recommended to diabetics.

Raw honey is one of my favorites. Honey does come in many flavors determined by what flowers are feed to the bees so trying and using different honeys can produce different results. Honey has a strong taste and its flavor needs to be considered and incorporated into the recipe. Raw honey also harbors a considerable amount of amylase, the enzyme that digests starch. The only other raw that contains any measurable amount of amylase is raw miso. Raw honey is good to use in any recipe that has grains or other starchy foods. Though most starch found in raw foods is already sweet like carrots, beets, corn… the amylase can help break down the starch into sugar. Many vegans do not want to use honey due to the past misconception that it is an animal product. It was thought that bees actually ingest the flower nectar then regurgitate it once they return to the nest. That did not set well with the vegans. However in the early 1990s, using more powerful microscopes and further investigating, it was discovered that honey bees actually have an external pouch much like a kangaroo where the nectar is stored for transport and does not ever enter the bee’s innards. So as Yoda would say, “Vegan honey truly is!”

Agave is also very popular in raw foods and has a full yet fairly neutral flavor. It can be used in desserts or in savory dishes like curry sauces, dressing’s pate… there are light and dark agaves, blue agave, and “truly raw” agaves. You would have to research a little to decide which is best for you. I use agave in my raw restaurant as it works for all recipes and is accepted by vegans, though there are some raw foodies who won’t order anything with agave in it.

There are other sweeteners out there that I do not or at least have not used, like yacon which is really healthy. It tastes sweet, but the human body does not recognize it as a sugar. Therefore it has none of the biological effects of sugar. Though one of the best raw foods out there, I do not use it in the restaurant simply because of its high price and the fact it requires a large quantity to achieve any noticeable sweetness. It is good for home use, but not so great for a restaurant.

There are also beet sugars, barley malts and a few others. I do not know too much about them.

In many cases I just use fresh or dried foods to sweeten. For desserts I use mostly fruits and add agave, honey or stevia only if needed. Dried fruits also work great for thickening sauces while adding sweetness, like in a curry sauce of salad dressing. Red and yellow bell peppers are sweet and work great for dressings, sauces and gravies. Carrots and or beets can also add sweetness if you use them. In conclusion I try to use sweet food as much as possible then add dedicated sweeteners if the dish needs more.

Cashews Raw?

Are cashews a raw food? I heard they have to be heated up to be opened. I also heard that almonds are no longer raw (read that in last months issue).

Meghan

RAW CHEF DAN ANSWERS: Ah, the old cashew question. The simple answer to that is if the cashews in question are any less than $18 a pound they most likely are not raw. The word cashew refers to a tree, its fruit, and the popular, edible nut it produces. The nut comes from the bottom of the cashew apple.. The apple is a delicacy in Brazil, where the fruit originated but it is not eaten in large quantities in many other places. Cashews are now consumed heavily world-wide but they are especially popular in Asian cooking where they are a common ingredient in Thai cuisine. Reference:mahalo.com.

There is a toxic resin inside the shell layer. If the shell is not opened properly, the resin will get on the cashew nut, making it inedible. Most companies steam the shell open at a high temperature thus cooking the cashew nut inside. A certain nut producer in Indonesia uses a special technique with specially-designed tools (without using any heat at all) to open the shell cleanly every time without ever exposing the cashew nut to the resin. The raw cashews are much sweeter, tastier, and nutritious than their cooked counterparts.

Many people avoid cashew nuts because of their high fat content, though they are lower in total fat than almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts. Cashews provide essential fatty acids, B vitamins, fiber, protein, carbohydrate potassium, iron, and zinc. Like other nuts, cashews have a small percentage of saturated fat; however, eaten in small quantities cashews are a highly nutritious food. Reference: living-foods.com
In the raw community raw cashews are sold under the labeling of “really raw” cashews.

As for almonds – yes, sadly enough, a law was passed and enforced last September that all almonds in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have to be pasteurized before public distribution and sale. We fought long and hard to crush the bill, but the powers that be have more money and more lobbyists than the raw foodies. And they (FDA and the Codex Alimentarius Commition) are not going to stop at almonds either so brace yourself. Pasteurized leafy greens, sterilized fruits and cocoa will be restricted as a “controlled substance” by the FDA. Its coming folks, so hold on!
Raw almonds can still be purchased as an import through the good folks at Living Tree, Better Than Roasted or from my friend Seth Leaf at Living Nuts. Glaser Organic Farms have also just put on the market a “raw” almond butter that look really great.

In conclusion if you want your nuts truly raw, your best bet is to buy from a raw conscious shop like my friends at Live Live in NYC that takes the time to research products for their purity and integrity. They have done all the work and we get to do all the eating!

Blender

What blender do you recommend? I am about to start a raw foods diet and I want to know what blender will work best. I am looking to spend not over $100, but if I really need to I suppose I could spend more. Thanks!

RAW CHEF DAN ANSWERS: No blender under $100 is worth having. Get the Jack LaLanne Power Blender if the Vita-Mix is out of your budget.

Overweight

I always seem to gravitate to 20 pounds overweight. I really eat pretty well and follow most of the guidelines OLM recommends. Is it possible my body just prefers to be at this weight, and is 20 pounds serious? I am 5’11”.

RAYMOND FRANCIS ANSWERS: Twenty pounds overweight is a serious matter since we can already measure biochemical abnormalities in people who are five pounds overweight. Twenty pounds is sufficient to be producing excess estrogen, a flood of free radicals and other health-damaging chemicals. This accelerates aging and increases the risk of all diseases and disability.

I have found that when people go on good diets and still can’t lose weight, they may be looking at a toxicity problem. There are two causes of overweight disease: deficiency and toxicity. You are obviously still lacking key nutrients and/or still exposed to environmental toxins that are causing the disease.

Trans Fats

Raymond Francis, In your book, Never Be

Sick Again, you mention that store bought cooking oils have trans-fatty acids. But lately I’ve seen so much more attention paid to whether or not something has Trans fats, they’re being eliminated it seems. Are there still trans fats in typical cooking oils?

Allen

RAYMOND FRANCIS ANSWERS: A. Trans fats are still very much with us, but they are slowly being reduced. However, even if all trans fats were removed, this still does not solve the problem that most Americans eat the wrong fats. Americans still consume huge amounts of highly toxic oils such as soy, peanut, canola, sunflower, safflower and corn oils. These contain too many omega 6 fatty acids and the excess of omega 6s in our diet is causing an enormous epidemic of chronic inflammatory disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and asthma.

Exercise – Heart Rate

Do you monitor your heart rate when working out? I’ve been told that it’s really important but I’ve never paid any attention to it. I consider myself physically fit, so do I need to monitor it?

Jerry

ERIC HARR ANSWERS: Hello Jerry, thank you for the question! You hit on arguably one of the most important aspects of achieving your health and fitness goals — and doing so without undue fatigue or injury. And that is: using a heart rate monitor during all of your aerobic workouts. It is vitally important, and you should begin paying attention to monitoring your heart rate no matter how fit you are. Working out without a heart rate monitor is like driving your car without a speedometer. It’s driving blind. For more information check out my article Training and Your Heart Rate by Eric Harr.

Car Pooling with Rex

I take my dog to work almost every day. I live in Atlanta and have to drive in rush hour traffic every morning. Can I drive in the car pool lane since I have a dog with me?

OLM ANSWERS: Yes, you absolutely can drive in the car pool lane with your dog! Be sure to bring your dog to court with you. OLM
Email your questions to questions [at] organicmail.net. Questions may be edited for clarity or length.