Sage spa

Friends

I couldn't resist this fun commentary on the value of friends.

Thank you to all my silly friends.

Rating New York Hospitals On Their Caesarean Rates

It is unfortunate but true that hospital caesarean rates are on the rise.  Whether due to the physician's fear of a bad outcome or some other factor, this can't be a good thing for women.  We will need to be careful when choosing a hospital. In fact, we need to make conscious choices about every aspect of where and with whom to give birth in order to birth our babies the way we have envisioned. The World Health Organization recommends that the cesarean section rate for industrialized nations should not exceed 15%. A safe range, as determined by WHO experts, is 10-15%. Most hospitals in our area are well above this rate; but, you can at least make an informed choice by going to our friends at Choices in Childbirth  and checking out the numbers.  They did a helpful survey of caesarean rates from 2000 to 2008 in hospitals in the 5 burroughs as well as Long Island. When you click on their site, go to their Guide To A Healthy Birth to see the survey and have access to a wealth of information on healthy birth in general. Good luck with your planning!

 

Are you lean flank steak or fatty rump roast?

As an older person and a committed athlete for all of my life, I wonder... how fit can I be as I get older and how long can I keep up the pace?  The answer, as it turns out,  is very, very fit and for a very, very long time.  I recently went back to ballet class, though I had kept up a decent fitness level in the interim by doing running, yoga, Zumba and other exercises.  I have been amazed though that, with perserverance, you can up your fitness levels EVEN MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE ... and I'm a pretty positive person to begin with.  In the same vein, I came across this video ( Senior Basketball Ladies) of basketball competitors, all ladies and the youngest of whom is 65.  Watch and believe.  If you are older or are destined to get older (and who isn't?) you should take steps right now.  It WILL pay off in all ways including body and mind.  I now can't wait to get older and be even better!  If you have a story of fitness to share, please do so.  We would all love to be inspired by you.

Inspiration for Martin Luther King Day

 

All labor that uplifts humanity, has dignity and importance.

Dr. Martin Luther King

Visit the Museum of Motherhood

Interested in activities for the kids or just a peek into what mothering is like around the world?  This museum in New York City looks very interesting.  It has:

• informal baby groups and playdates
• exhibitions (the current one is on breastfeeding)
• an affordable venue for parties

The museum's is "a certified 501c3, committed to connecting women, mothers and families through music, art, activism and education for cultural, economic & social awareness free of age, race and socio-economic barriers. MFI cares about, and acts upon the status of birthers and caregivers, while addressing important issues, creating meaningful content, and providing compelling community experiences, marrying education, “her”story, creativity, culture & community benefiting all."  Sounds like a good thing in every way. 

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Warm Compresses During Labor Help Prevent Trauma

Help me pass the word to all of our moms-to-be.  New research shows the warm compresses on the pelvic floor during the second stage of labor help prevent tears.  This is really good news, and it's such a nice low-tech solution.  Midwives have been doing this for generations; but, the medical establishment is just starting to get a clue.  According to the research, warm compresses reduce the incidence of tears by 52%. Unfortunately, they don't give the details of what materials, what temperature or how often to use the compresses; but, I bet your midwife can tell you  If you want to read the scientific data look here MORE

Share Your Birth Story!

Want to share your birth story with other women?

Perhaps to inspire, maybe to teach, maybe to comfort? One of my favorite mother-friendly organizations, Choices In Childbirth , has put out a call for inspiring birth stories for the "In Her Words" section of their blog.  You can send your story to Julia@choicesinchildbirth.org with your contact information. You can also send pictures to go along with your story.

Cap'n Crunch No More: CC Sabathia And His Surefire Weight-Loss Plan

The following article by Dr. Nick Campos from Optimal Health Blogspot, was written earlier this past year at the start of the 2011 baseball season. A thinnned CC Sabathia (lLEFT) reported to camp, 15 lbs thinner. He said that he lost the weight by backing away from his favorite cereal. Now some ten months later, the baseball season has ended, and CC (RIGHT) has gained back all of the weight plus more. Again, he blames Captain Crunch cereal. ONE 16 oz. lg. box per day with milk was his favorite snack. Sugar is the culprit in more than one way.

CC Sabathia Before & After

The Average Adult Male needs approx 2000-2500 Calories/ DAY! 

CC's Snack

One 16 oz. Box of Captain "Crunch Cereal = 1365 Calories/ 151 g. Sugar
2C. 2% Milk= 260 Calories /16 g. Sugar (lactose is a Sugar)
 Grand Total - 1625 Total Calories/ 167 g. Sugar
THAT'S AN AMAZING 41.75 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR!

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Changing the Way the World Thinks About Health
by Dr. Nick Campos
February 17, 2011 

New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is reporting to spring training 25 lbs lighter.  The secret: He kicked the Cap'n Crunch.  

Aw yeh, the former fat-boy is weighing in at a svelte 290, not bad for a 6'7" frame.  And to think he did it all with one simple change.  Just think of what that might mean for you or your kids!

Sabathia, the Yankees ace, weighed in at a whopping 315 lbs last season, when he was knocking down a full box ofCap'n Crunch every day!  Each box of Cap'n Crunch has 12.59 servings, each serving has 12 grams of sugar, making a box of the sugary cereal contain a total of 151 grams of sugar.  Further, the nutritional info on the box lists the number of calories at 217 per double serving.  Therefore, a full box of Cap'n Crunch contains 1,366 calories.  Dang!

To put this into perspective, a soda (Coke, let's say) contains 40 grams of sugar and 150 calories per 12 oz. can.  More perspective: one teaspoon of sugar equals about six grams; therefore, a can of soda has about seven teaspoons of sugar.  Even more perspective: Most sugar packets found in the U.S. have approximately 4 grams of sugar, thus a can of soda contains ten packets of sugar (U.S.).

Now back to Sabathia.  His one full box of Cap'n Crunch a day gave him a sugar equivalent of drinking 4 sodas, 25 teaspoons of sugar, or 38 sugar packets.  Nice, CC...nice.

*A report released in 2009 by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale gave Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries the worst nutritional score of any cereal marketed to children and families. ~ from Wikipedia

How about your kids?  Do they eat Cap'n Crunch?  Fruit Loops?  Frosted Flakes?  Do they drink soda?  These cereals and soft drinks have been staples in the American diet for the last fifty years, and it's not because people aren't consuming them.  It's not just 6'7" professional athletes eating this junk, either.  It's little Timmy, and little Rainflower, and maybe even you.

Listen, next time you're thinking about feeding Junior the Cap'n Crunch, why not just give him a Snickers bar?  Same amount of sugar as in a two-serving bowls of the Crunch.  And is it any wonder we are in the midst of an obesity (and diabetes) epidemic?

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Sugar found more addictive than Cocaine
in Bordeaux Univ. Research Study

 Refined sugars (e.g., sucrose, fructose) were absent in the diet of most people until very recently in human history. Today overconsumption of diets rich in sugars contributes together with other factors to drive the current obesity epidemic. Overconsumption of sugar-dense foods or beverages is initially motivated by the pleasure of sweet taste and is often compared to drug addiction. Though there are many biological commonalities between sweetened diets and drugs of abuse, the addictive potential of the former relative to the latter is currently unknown.  MORE>

Carving Halloween Turnips (huh?)

This is an interesting article on the history of Halloween traditions as far back as the Celts, who carved turnips rather than pumpkins (pumpkins were unknown to them).

 

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7 Years! It's our Birthday!

On this, Sage Spa’s seventh anniversary, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of our clients, staff, and support personnel that have made us such a great success. We are nothing without each and every one of you.

During the past seven years, Sage has touched the lives of more than twenty-thousand people. You come to us from across the globe, most from Brooklyn, Manhattan and the surrounding tri-state area, but many travel from as far away as Japan, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Finland, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean. It's truly amazing.  We thank you each and everyone for your interest, your loyalty, and your trust. Trust is something we don't take that lightly. You mean the world to us, and we thank you.

Of course, where would we be without our staff?  We have some of the most caring, intelligent, and warm people you will find anywhere. Their professional expertise and experience are hallmark, second to none. Clients often comment on the difference our team brings to their spa experience, of particular note: "how our staff seem to enjoy working here". In the words of one client, “That tells you a lot.” It's little wonder that those words make us smile.

Looking back, it’s been particularily gratifying to watch our therapists grow professionally and personally during their time at Sage. It's much like a family. Many have been with us from the early years, from our first baby steps. Others, eventually decided to move on, after years working as therapists or spa managers, moving into physcial therapy, nursing, women’s health, and even law. For all that have come before and all that are with us now, we think that their unquestioned dedication and passion is not only a reflection of their warm personality, unbridled professionalism, but also Sage Spa's spirit. Nothing could make us more proud.

So on this seventh anniversary, my husband David, and I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has contributed to the Sage Spa experience. 

We wish you peace and happiness,

Susan Stratton, LMT, owner
David Sumner, co-owner

Sage Spa