Several days ago, a friend gave me a unique gift of something I had only heard of before. I got 2 bottles of Mona Vie Acai Blend juice. At first I thought, since this is juice, you drink it liberally and it’s gone in only a couple of days. But it’s actually best taken in small doses. It’s more like a food supplement to be taken 1 or 2 ounces at a time, then twice a day.

All this time, I had been pronouncing this product the wrong way. It’s pronounced “ah-sah-yee”. As it turns out, these bottles are pretty pricey, so this is like liquid gold in a bottle. I’m almost through one bottle now, then onto the next. The question is, will I get hooked on it? If so, it’ll be an expensive habit to keep. And it tastes so good!

This juice has phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. It includes the Brazilian acai berry, as well as grape, apple, acerola, cranberry, passion fruit, and several other juices. This could indeed be a true superfood.

Have you tried this before? Let me know what you think of it.

As we get older and hormone levels decline, our healthy bones lose their structure. Our bones provide a framework supporting the muscles, skin and nerves as well as protecting the organs and other functions.

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone that can lead up to a fracture. This is most common in women after menopause, but can also occur with men. This can be prevented by keeping the body healthy through exercise as well as getting enough calcium and vitamin D. The vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium.

Some factors that increase the risk of getting osteoporosis are excess alcohol consumption, a vitamin D deficiency, smoking, low calcium intake, being physically inactive, as well as a family history of bone-related problems. Some diseases can also increase the risk of bone loss by impacting calcium absorption

Since the body can’t produce its own calcium, it’s important to consume enough of this each day. Calcium is lost through the skin, sweat, and other bodily functions. If we don’t replace what we use, the difference comes out of our bones.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends the following guidelines for adults:
Adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 – 800 IU of vitamin D daily.

Adults 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 – 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily.

A cup of milk provides 300 mg of calcium and 100 IU of vitamin D. I try to get my daily intake of milk with my cereal in the morning, with lunch, then some at night with a meal or sometime afterwards. Milk tends to go pretty fast in my house so it’s a challenge sometimes to keep the refrigerator stocked up!

I got up this morning knowing I would get in a run eventually and thought about it for a few minutes. Yesterday when I was at Oakway Fitness Center, I heard that they’ll be open for New Year’s Day at 9 am. So, why not start off the year right and get there when they open?

I got there just before 9 am, changed, and went for a run from Oakway to the nearby Pre trail. It was only a total of 3 miles for an out and back course. The turnaround point was at the back of Autzen Stadium (:53 second spot on the video below), right off the trail. After returning, I got in a little stretching, 10 minutes on a stationary bike, and a few other machines for upper body fitness. I finished this off with a soak in the whirlpool. What a great start to the day, as well as to 2009.

Happy New Years to everyone! What are your fitness goals for this year?

You can check out the Pre trail here: