Today is National Arbor Day!

Trees add beauty and value to our landscape. They also provide many environmental benefits. In a year, a single healthy tree:

- Has the same cooling effect as 10 room-sized air conditioners running continually.
- Absorbs 750 gallons of stormwater, preventing erosion and protecting water quality.
- Filters 60 pounds of pollutants from the air.

Here is how you can celebrate trees and National Arbor Day…..

- Plant a tree at home. Find tips for choosing and siting trees at www.arborday.org/trees/righttreeandplace/index.cfm

- Volunteer to plant trees in your community. Visit www.arborday.org/programs/volunteers/States.cfm to find a list of tree-planting organizations in your area.

- Learn to identify trees in your neighborhood. Use the free online edition of “What Tree Is That?” at www.arborday.org/trees/whatTree/ to hone your identification skills.

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WATER CONNECTS US

The ocean is connected to major lakes, watersheds and waterways because all major watersheds on Earth drain to the ocean. Oceans provide us with food, cycle our water, generate most of the oxygen we breathe, balance our climate, supply us with medicines and much more.

— Humans consume 90 million metric tons of seafood every year. This translates to more than 900 fully armed aircraft carriers being dredged up from the world’s oceans every year.

— Carrageenan is an important ingredient in many of the products we use every day – such as toothpaste, shampoo and ice cream – and it comes from seaweed.

— Oil is an ingredient in many of the products that are part of our daily routine, from sneakers to dish soap, and it’s also used to heat and light homes and fuel cars.

— Nearly one third of the world’s oil comes from offshore fields in our oceans.

— More than 90 percent of the trade between countries is carried by ships and about half the communications between nations use underwater cables.

— Marine microbes hold great promise for drugs and agricultural processes including anti-inflammation chemicals from sea feathers, virus killing proteins from sea grass molds and cancer cell killing compounds from soft corals.

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BIODIVERSITY

The diversity of major groups of organisms is much greater in the ocean than on land. Of the 1.5 million known species on Earth, some 250,000 live in the ocean.

— There are more than 360 known species of shark in the sea. Sharks are much older than dinosaurs – their ancestry dates back more than 400 million years.

— Great White Sharks migrate long distances. Some make journeys from South Africa to Australia – a round-trip of 20,000 miles. It’s the longest recorded migration of any fish.

— The largest mammal on Earth is the blue whale, which can be 100 feet long and weigh 200,000 to 300,000 pounds – equivalent to 15 adult male elephants.

— Coastal mangrove forest ecosystems shelter over 200 species of fish, 180 species of birds and dozens of reptile, amphibian and mammal species.

— Coral reefs provide habitat for over 4,000 species of fish and about 25 percent of marine life. Deep-water corals on Davidson Seamount, off the Big Sur coast, may grow to ten feet tall and live for several hundred years. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure ever built by living organisms on Earth.

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OCEAN EXPLORATION

The ocean is the last and largest unexplored place on Earth—less than five percent of it has been explored.

— Deep below the ocean’s surface is a mysterious world that takes up 95 percent of Earth’s living space. It is so deep that it could hide 20 Washington Monuments stacked on top of each other. But it remains largely unexplored.

— Deep sea vents are openings in the ocean floor that release scalding hot water and toxic chemicals into the cold, dark water surrounding them. Some very unique animals, such as giant clams, 8-foot tall tube worms and fish with no eyes, have adapted to living around the vents.

— Scientists estimate that there are at least a million new species to be discovered in the deep oceans.

— Tens of thousands of underwater mountains, called seamounts, dot the ocean floor. Less than one percent have been explored.

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CLIMATE & OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

More acidic waters mean there are fewer carbonate molecules in the water available to the organisms that build their bodies out of calcium carbonate, such as coral, oysters and tiny plankton. All of these organisms are crucial for the health of ocean ecosystems that provide the fish that humans eat. Did you know…

— The oceans are currently absorbing about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each day.

— The oceans have absorbed an estimated 525 billion tons of CO2 over the last 200 years.

— As oceans take CO2 out of the atmosphere, the waters become more acidic.

— On the pH acidity scale (which ranges from zero to 14, with zero being the most acidic and seven being neutral) the world’s oceans have fallen from a pH of 8.2 in the late 18th century to a pH of 8.1 today, a 30 percent increase in acidity.

— The tiny planktonic foraminifera that live in the Southern Ocean around Antarctic have shells that are now one-third thinner than they were in pre-industrial times.

This week is National Environmental Education Week, the nation’s largest environmental education event held each year the week before Earth Day to inspire environmental learning and stewardship among students and the public. This year’s EE Week theme is “Ocean Connections,” highlighting that no matter how far from the coast, water in every stream or river ends up in the ocean. The oceans impact weather and climate, house a vast array of wildlife and provide 70 percent of the oxygen on earth.

Each day this week I will post information and tips about our oceans. Today we begin with the connection between oceans and weather.

— The ocean controls weather and climate by dominating the Earth’s energy, water and carbon systems.

— Most rain that falls on land originally evaporated from the tropical ocean.

— Coastal wetlands, like salt marshes and mangrove swamps, help to shield coasts from hurricane storm surges and flooding.

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Getting a handle of your supermarket will help you lose those love handles. There is more to your supermarket than meets the eye. Understanding the layout will help you navigate better food choices.

Have you ever noticed that the healthiest foods in the supermarket can be found along the walls? That’s where you will find the dairy, produce, meat, and seafood sections. The perimeter of the market is where you should be buying most of your items. The inner aisles are mostly filled with highly processed things that come in boxes, bags, or cans. Not good. Make your way through the healthy outer part of the market before you make your way to the unhealthy middle part. Hopefully you will have filled up your cart with some many good foods, that you won’t have room for the bad ones.

Now when you do make your way through the aisles, look up and down. The healthier food choices are found on the top and bottom shelves. YES, it’s true. Big companies pay big bucks to have their products at eye level on the supermarket aisle. Those eye level products are usually highly processed and filled with sugar. If you change your focus, you will change your waistline.

Here is an article with 7 Secrets to Outsmart Your Supermarket:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1326

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Believe or not, you need to snack to lose weight. That doesn’t mean you grab a cupcake or a bag of chips. You need HEALTHY snacks for weight loss/maintenance. Snacks help your blood sugar from going way up and way down. You want to keep all of your body levels consistent with a steady supply of fuel and snacking helps with that. Snacks also help you from becoming too hungry between meals. You don’t want to go into your next meal starving.

My daily food schedule is as follows:
Breakfast
Snack #1
Lunch
Snack #2
Snack #3
Dinner

Here is an article about snacking for you to check out:

http://weight-loss.families.com/blog/snacking-to-lose-weight

Some of my favorite snacks are:
Fuji Apples with Almond Butter
Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese with Wheat Thin crackers
Applegate Farm Herb Turkey wrapped around Part-Skim String Cheese
Greek Yogurt with Blueberries and Banana Granola
Avocado with Lemon and Tortilla Chips
Carrots with Red Pepper Hummus
South Beach or Luna Protein Bar

Check out my blog tomorrow to find out the secret set up of your supermarket!

Until then, follow me on Twitter @AudreyPuente

I know you have heard it before……PORTION CONTROL. YES, it is sooooo important for weight loss. If you think about it, the lack of portion control is probably why you are overweight in the first place. Believe it or not, the meals you are eating are probably 2 to 3 times the size that they should be. During our weight loss challenge, Bistro MD supplied me with meals that were the right size for my weight and height. I learned proper portion control and actually felt satisfied after every meal. I didn’t feel stuffed or bloated. Just like the Baby Bear, I felt just right.

Here is what I do to control my portions:
-Everything on my plate is the size of my fist. That means, each serving of protein, vegetables, pasta, etc. is sized appropriately.
-When I go to a restaurant, I either split my main course with a friend, take half of the main course home, or order a few appetizers for my main meal.
-If I am at a buffet or a large dinner party, I have one spoon of everything so I don’t miss out on anything.

Here is an article for you check out: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/tp/aa030405a.htm

Check out my blog tomorrow to find out why snacking is good when you want to lose weight!

Until then, follow me on Twitter @AudreyPuente

Yesterday I told you about the importance of protein at every meal. Well, that’s not all that should be on your plate.

About 5 months ago, I read a book that explained the importance of balancing protein with carbohydrates and fats. In fact, every meal/snack should have some combination of these 3 things. That way, you are making sure your body is receiving all of its necessary nutrients. When your body is getting a balanced meal at regular intervals, it won’t have to overcompensate for “empty gaps.” This overcompensation is usually referred to as “sugar spikes,” “stored fat,” etc. Regular balanced meals keep all of your body levels consistent, instead of having highs and lows.

Some examples of how I balance my meals are:
A sliced apple (carb/sugar) with almond butter (protein)
Wheat pasta (carb) with olive oil (fat) and pine nuts (protein)
Turkey burger (protein) with cheese (fat) on a whole wheat bun (carb)

The book that I read about balancing your meals is “Naturally Thin” by Bethenny Frankel. You can check out her website at: www.bethenny.com

Check out my blog tomorrow to find out why size does matter!

Until then, follow me on Twitter @AudreyPuente