As a resident of NYC, I'm proud of the health initiatives that Mayor Bloomberg has successfully initiated over the past ten years. In addition to banning smoking in bars, restaurants, and city parks, plazas and beaches, he has taken a hard stance in the fight against obesity.

Our Mayor has outlawed the use of trans-fats in restaurant kitchens and enacted a law requiring that city restaurant chains post calorie counts on menus and menu boards. I look for them automatically now, and really miss comparing calorie counts when I travel out of the city!

Some of his measures have been a little hard to swallow, namely the proposed ban on large sugary drinks being served in containers bigger than 16 oz. A NY State Supreme Court judge struck down the proposal last week saying there were too many loopholes and it was too hard to enforce.

But consider this breath-taking statistic, which I read in the March issue of IDEA Fitness Journal: According to a recent study, there is a correlation between frequent use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and high rates of type 2 diabetes. Forty percent of all caloric sweeteners in the U.S. are HFCS, with most of it appearing in soft drinks.

The U.S. has the highest consumption rate of HFCS, with 55 pounds ingested per person per year, followed by Hungary with 46 pounds per capita. By comparison, the U.K. has only 1.1 pounds per person.

This stunning statistic reflects so poorly on the American diet and our well-being. We are literally killing ourselves by making uneducated food choices, and the food industry is not helping. We need high profile public figures like Mayor Bloomberg to advocate for us by bringing these issues to light.

Are you in the pink when it comes to that all important muscle, your heart? The American Heart Association has developed a simple assessment tool to find out if you are managing all seven lifestyle factors for a healthy heart.

1. Get Active: Accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of high-intensity  physical activity per week. You can do it in 10-15 minute "doses". For some great ideas on how to fit more exercise into your day, check out these books and resources.
2. Control Cholesterol: Give your arteries the best chance to stay free of plaque, blockages which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Keep your total cholesterol under 200 and learn how to increase the percentage of good cholesterol (HDL).
3. Eat Better: Eat a heart-healthy diet: foods low in saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars, and foods high in whole grain fiber, lean protein, and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.
4. Manage Blood Pressure: High blood pressure is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is called the silent killer because it has no symptoms - one in three American adults has it and may not know it. Normal blood pressure is 120/80.
5. Lose Weight: If you have too much fat — especially if a lot of it is at your waist — you're at higher risk for such health problems as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. Measure your waist-to-hip ratio and learn your body mass index (BMI).
6. Reduce Blood Sugar: Our bodies convert the foods we eat into glucose (or blood sugar) to use for energy. If your fasting blood sugar level is below 100, you are in the healthy range. If not, your results could indicate diabetes or pre-diabetes.
7. Stop Smoking: Any and all smoking is a risk factor for heart disease; and the more you smoke the more you are at risk. If you smoke, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health. Your lungs can begin to heal as soon as you quit.

For more detailed information and to get your own personal assessment, go to www.mylifecheck.heart.org and click on "Get Your Assessment."

This morning I made a big batch of granola for my client's son, who just graduated from high school.  Over the years, he's become a big fan of this specialty of mine, which I make as a gift from time to time.  It's become so popular that some clients request it every Christmas!

The trick is to use just enough oil and honey to make the dry ingredients glisten – too little and it tastes too dry; too much and it becomes too heavy.  Keep an eye on the granola as it bakes in the oven, turning it from time to time, until it's a toasty brown.  Add the cranberries and raisins as it's cooling, not before.

I usually make two large baking pans, fill up our canister at home and put the rest in plastic containers to give away or freeze.  Here's the recipe for your enjoyment:

Crunchy Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup slivered unblanched almonds
1 c. coconut flakes
6 T. sunflower seeds
6 T. flax seeds
6 T. sesame seeds
3 T. raw wheat germ
¼ t. cinnamon (optional)
3 T. sunflower or safflower seed oil
3 T. honey
1 c. dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Toss all the ingredients, except the cranberries or raisins, in a large bowl.

Spread granola thinly on 1 or 2 baking sheets and bake for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice so that the ingredients brown evenly.  Watch carefully.  If you forget it, it will burn easily.

When the granola is golden and the texture starts to become crunchy, remove and let cool.  Toss in the dried cranberries/raisins as it’s cooling.  Refrigerate or freeze leftover to keep fresh.

Makes about 6 cups of granola

How do fit people stay in shape when life intervenes?  Inevitably there are times for all of us when the best laid plans go by the wayside.  For me personally, it happened with the recent cold snap in the northeast.  A housecat at heart, I just couldn't bring myself to bundle up and brave the deep freeze for my weekly runs.

What to do instead?  I resumed my normal routine of walking everywhere during the course of the day.  This is very manageable for me.  It just means allowing time in between appointments and dressing in layers, so I can be comfortable outdoors and then shed a layer or two inside.

When I down shift my cardio, I also carefully watch my food intake, monitoring my portions and eating healthy snacks when I feel hungry. I need to keep a steady flow of glucose going to the brain or I suffer by becoming distracted and irritable.  An occasional cookie or bite of chocolate is definitely part of the program, but never to excess.

I'm a big believer in weighing and usually jump on the scale first thing every morning.  My weight is normally very steady and doesn't fluctuate much, so if it goes up two pounds, I make sure to take it right off.  Staying on track is really important to me and is so much easier than having to take off a significant weight gain. 

We have a friend we call "Major Project" because he once said he was facing a major dieting project to lose ten pounds.  It's so much easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. That's real "food for thought"!

Do you have a game plan to keep you in shape over this holiday season?  Personally, I'm approaching the holidays head on.  I love running, and more than that, I love the benefits of running!  It's a very efficient way to burn calories and it definitely keeps a glow on my face.  My plan is to schedule 30-minute runs at least three or four times a week.

My husband is determined to keep the pounds off, so he's really watching what he eats.  Yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner, he walked away from the table when dessert was served and went in the other room to watch football. This morning he was gratified that he hadn't gained any weight.

The most important tactic is to develop a mind-set now about how you're going to deal with this hectic time of year.  Create specific, measurable goals, for example accumulating 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week; doing bodyweight exercises like push ups, squats and crunches every other day and five minutes of stretching every day.   Put your plan into action one week at a time. If you get derailed, regroup and get back on track. 

There are five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's, and the way you take charge of your body now determines whether you greet 2011 on your game or in need of remedial fitness training! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

After three weeks of traveling through some of the tastiest territory in the world, I really couldn't tell if the changes in routine had taken a toll on my weight.  Judging by how my clothes fit,  I seemed to have managed OK, but there were times during my vacation when I felt completely sated. 

The challenges of managing a healthy diet while traveling begin the moment you board the plane and encounter pre-fab meals.  To complicate matters, regular meal times fly right out the window as you cross through multiple time zones. On an overnight flight, no sooner do you finish dinner and nod off for a few hours, than breakfast is served. So it's possible to arrive at your destination already feeling bloated!

Then there's the adjustment to cultural differences, for example, landing in Spain where dinner is not served before 10:30 at night.  Fortunately, jet lag helped solve that issue by inducing a very long afternoon siesta.  We encountered a different problem in France where most restaurants stop serving the midday meal by 2 pm.  Lavish breakfast buffets created no urgency for lunch, so by the time we were hungry it was possible to get shut out completely and wind up starving until dinner.  You quickly learn to get with the program! 

The Mediterranean diet is really so healthy, and this bodes well for staying on track.  You can feast on fruits and veggies, seafood and salads to your heart's content.  It can be challenging, however, to resist over-indulging in the wonderful array of breads and cheeses, delicious desserts and, naturally, the wines of the region.

To offset potential damage, I found myself moderating a breakfast of a croissant with jam one morning with one of fruit and yogurt the next.  A salad was perfect for lunch.  The menu at dinner is often three courses, but you can get all the local tastes without going overboard. My personal preferences were to order a gazpacho or interesting vegetable appetizer, followed by a seafood entrée and a lighter fruit-based dessert.  And, naturally, only one dessert a day! 

I made it a point to drink plenty of water and also made sure to keep a constant level of activity.  Since my husband and I enjoy touring by car, there were days when we knew we had to incorporate enough walking or hiking to offset the sitting.  

In the final analysis, my strategy worked!  The morning after our return, my scale weight was exactly what it was before the trip.  It's proof that it's possible to create a balance even when juggling multiple variables.  You don't need a degree in nutrition to know that moderation and common sense go a long way in maintaining a healthy weight.