Perfect Bootie with this ONE Exercise

Want a Bootie that says POW?

Are you on the hunt for the latest techniques to enhance your fitness journey?  Welcome, Health Bear’s Fit Squad! Our newest member, Sam Abrams is personal trainer to Silicon Valley’s movers and shakers. He is sharing his knowledge with you to help you elevate your routine to the next level.

Personal Trainer Sam Abrams

Want a bootie that says POW? Sam, what is your top trick to build a gorgeous bootie?

What you need to understand is a fitness fundamental… Adduction Exercises.

“Adduction means bringing a limb toward the midline of the body. This joint action occurs every time we take a step, walk up a flight of stairs, or get up off the floor. Adduction exercises can help us do all of these things. It’s not talked about very much, but adduction is also essential to the use of our glutes.  Everyone wants to do abduction exercises, which draw the leg away from the midline, for their glutes, but if the body can’t adduct, it can’t use it’s abductors. This is because muscles like to lengthen before they contract. When we adduct (draw the leg toward the midline), the abductors (muscles that draw the leg away from the midline) are stretched and then, like a rubber band that has been stretched, the adductors want to contract hard to return to their normal length. If the abductors can’t stretch, they can’t really work well. For example if all we do is abduction exercises like band walks and the abduction machine, we might actually limit our ability to train our glutes”. 

What is a good adduction exercise? 

Sumo Squat
Sumo deadlift. In a sumo deadlift, the legs are wider than the hands. The knees are so far away from the midline that the body and the adductors fight to try to bring the legs back toward the midline. As an added benefit, this exercise also works the glutes, and whole leg. 

What types of muscle do adduction exercises work? 
Adduction exercises for the leg would work all of the muscles of the inner thigh. These groin muscles are sometimes referred to collectively as adductors. Adductors are important for stabilizing the knee and hip, protecting the low back, and supporting pelvic floor function, and these functions are essential for walking, getting up and down off the ground, and turning. These muscles also assist in explosive movements like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction so they are essential for athletic performance as well.
What is your #1 favorite exercise to build the bootie?
My favorite abduction exercise is a single leg deadlift with a band around the knees. This exercise is not often seen in commercial gyms but it works wonders for those who have trouble turning on their glutes. The single leg stance forces the abductors to stabilize the pelvis and the band around the knees forces the abductors to pull the leg away from the midline.
Deadlift

 

Fitness and Fuel go hand in glove. 10-12 grams of plant based protein is ready in a snap. Give us a try! Health Bear’s Protein Oatmeal 

Interested in decreasing stress in the home? Check out this awesome article with more self-care tips, https://www.architecturaldigest.com/reviews/home-improvement/how-to-destress-your-home 
Visit us at HealthBearFood.com

Expert Reveals 3 Secrets Goals to Better Your Life by Andrea Needham

Self-Improvement Goals That Focus on Self-Care

By contributing editor, Andrea Needhham

It’s natural to strive continually for self-improvement, but there’s a lot going on around the world today causing stress and complicating life. Maybe right now the best goals should focus on taking care of yourself, including your emotional, physical, and mental health.

Enjoy healthy oatmeal with gluten-free plant protein oatmeal cups from HealthBear!

Tackle Your Physical Response to Stress

Stress puts your body into a physical state with increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, and tense muscles. Some stress can be positive, but too much stress causes physical and emotional challenges. Maybe it isn’t possible to change the source of some of your anxiety, but there are steps you can take to reduce their impact:

  • Cut out the triggers you can control
  • Practice saying “no” to unnecessary demands
  • Make time to relax every day
  • Work on removing negative energy from your day

You could benefit from lighting white candles and sage smudging or including a peaceful guided meditation each morning as you prepare for the day.

Refresh Your Home Environment

Researchers have found that a cluttered home makes it difficult to focus, leads to frustration, and wears you down. Conversely, they’ve also found a correlation between tidy living spaces and increased levels of happiness. Focus on developing simple, daily habits of decreasing clutter, creating an organization that suits your routine, and cleaning a little deeper each day.

Create a Fitness Routine You Look Forward To

You’ll probably never find a self-improvement list that doesn’t include fitness goals. If the word “exercise” causes your heart rate to start racing, take a step back and think about achievable movement activities that you can enjoy. Something as simple as walking your dog or playing a neighborhood game of basketball provides valuable benefits.

Eat and Sleep To Reduce Stress

According to experts, certain foods affect your cortisol levels; among other things, cortisol affects the physical results of stress. Foods that provide relief from stress include poultry, fish, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet is often recommended to people who feel anxious and overwhelmed to the point that their health is suffering.

Your quality of sleep and your ability to handle stress create a cycle that either improves or gets worse, each factor impacting the other. When you start to cram too much into your day and sacrifice quality sleep, your ability to respond to daily stressors decreases. This, unfortunately, also means that the quality of sleep you do get decreases.

Shake Up Your Workday and Start a Business

It’s a fact that if you are spending 8 to 10 hours a day in a stressful job, you will struggle to decrease the emotional and physical impact. You may also find that even if you loved your job a year ago, you now find yourself feeling stagnant. Now may be a great time for a career change.

Maybe you’ll find that the best move for you is starting your own business. Controlling your own business day can be a huge boost to your self-improvement success. There are many online resources available that can help you out; you’ll need to learn about choosing a business idea, finding funding, marketing, and how to structure your business. Instead of hiring an attorney, you can use a formation service to register your business. Read reviews and customer testimonials to find the best LLC formation service for you.

Remember that caring for yourself shouldn’t cause more stress. Choose one or two of these suggestions that resonate with your current situation. Whether you’re starting a new fitness routine or opening a business, pick up new habits that help you feel better each day. With changes that you can easily maintain every day, you may find that you feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally. With your new improvements, you should find that it is easier to handle those stressors that you can’t control.

Surprising Benefits of CERTIFIED Gluten Free

Surprising Benefits of CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE

QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY INDUSTRY EXPERT

  • Why is CERTIFIED gluten free so important?
  • Gluten found in the most unexpected places
  • Which certifier is the most trusted?

Undoubtedly, you or someone you know is following a Gluten Free lifestyle. That being said, there are an estimated 2 million people in the United States suffer from Celiac Disease* and for those folks, it is imperative they can consume GF foods with confidence. For this reason, we at Health Bear are taking the precautionary steps to certify our product Gluten Free. With this massive need comes a massive effort. We hired a consultant to help us through the process and learned a lot along the way.

Highland Naturals Consulting, a firm dedicated to guiding companies like Health Bear, has taken on the role of navigating through the painstaking process of certifying Health Bear as Gluten Free. They have uncovered some little-known facts of the GF world you will find interesting:

Q: Why should companies certify GF?

  • A: Companies get a product certified GF because it creates a trust level with the customer. It is easy to claim gluten free even if you have done testing and it’s under 20ppm. It is much harder to go through the certification process, have the procedures, testing in place to prevent gluten cross – contamination concerns. It also takes the guesswork out of the product for people that are shopping for GF products. They know when its certified, the product has been tested and made in a way to avoid gluten. 

Q: Are you seeing any trends in the GF space you find interesting?

  • The gluten free market is growing. It is not just people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance looking for gluten free products. I have seen articles that say as much as 30% of Americans are looking for gluten free options because they consider it a healthier way to live.  

Q: Oats are gluten free, so why go through the trouble?

  • Oats themselves are not a gluten concern, however because oats are stored in some of the same grain bins as wheat, rye, barley, the oats can become tainted with gluten from cross – contamination. 

Q: What are some unexpected ingredients out there that can be surprisingly tainted with gluten?

  • A: There are definitely some products that you may not think of as having a gluten concern: Play dough can be made with wheat flour and pose a serious gluten concern. 

Q: When a company goes through the certification process- what are the maximum parts per million of the gluten that is acceptable?

  • A: The FDA says that you can claim your product is gluten free if you test and the finished product tests under 20 ppm. If you get it certified with GFCO for example the threshold is under 10ppm. 

How many companies are out there that certify GF and are some of the logos better than others?

  • There are a handful, like NSF offers it along with other certifications. However, their requirement is only 20ppm. There are other companies that offer gluten free certification as well as other programs. I only know of 2 GF agencies that require under the 20 ppm. GFCO, and Gluten Free Food Program. GFCO requires less than 10 ppm, GFFP is 5 ppm.  One of the most recognized logos in the GF space is GFCO’s logo. They have been a certifying body since 2005 and that is the only certification that they offer.

With so many people living with Celiac Disease, it is so important for companies like Health Bear and others to go through the added effort and expense of being certified to ensure all of our friends can enjoy food without fear.

This fall, Health Bear’s grocery collection will be CERTIFIED gluten free

Philanthropic Advisor Supports Kneaded Culinary Academy

Philanthropy is a core value of ours at Health Bear, and using our influence to inspire a more peaceful and equitable world is of paramount importance to us. As a deeply thoughtful and heartfelt company, we have called on Johanna Mahal to be our Director of Philanthropy.

 
Health Bear’s Coordinator of Philanthropy Johanna Mahal

Johanna will work with Health Bear to bring our attention to the charitable organizations whose objectives match ours. Johanna and founder Lisa Matar will be working side-by-side to find ways to support these profound organizations. We look forward to donating Health Bear Food products to auctions, rally Health Bear employees to volunteer, help bring awareness and lend a hand in meaningful ways to support these phenomenal organizations. Thank you Johanna for your wisdom and passion to spark change! Welcome to the team.

Starting off our philanthropic work with a bang, Johanna and Lisa supported the ‘Pop a Cork’ event on May 12th, 2022 at the Mohi Vineyards in Morgan Hill, CA which benefited Kneeded Culinary Academy of Gilroy, CA., a culinary school for underprivileged youth in California’s South Bay Area. This extraordinary program trains youth to be proficient kitchen employees, giving them the opportunities to flourish and grow in the world of food service and cuisine.  Additionally, the staff works with the students to show them the value of loving themselves;  entire mind body and soul. What enormous hope and promise is given to these students through this incredible program! Thank you for all you do, Kneaded Culinary Academy.

If you would like to nominate a non profit organization for Health Bear to support, please reach out to Johanna at johanna@healthbearfood.com

Health Bear Names Sustainability Advisor

Mike Acker, Coordinator of Sustainability, Health Bear

We are excited to announce our executive team has expanded to include a Coordinator of Sustainability! Mike Acker of San Diego, CA, accepted the position. He will be guiding Health Bear to ensure environmentally-conscious decisions on everything from packaging to transportation and ingredient sourcing. At its core, Health Bear was founded on the concepts of sustainability by being a plant based product. Health Bear is committed to helping to reduce our carbon footprint as we bring you fun, healthy, and delicious food!

 

Mike’s background is in sustainable design and energy rating for the built environment. He uses his expertise to guide homeowners in making green choices when remodeling or adding companion units (ADUs) to their homes. He is a LEED-certified Green Associate and is passionate about making a difference in our communities. We are thrilled to have Mike on board as we strive to create happy, healthy, and vibrant communities – one family at a time!

Opportunities to make a positive impact are all around us. A collective effort is what will take to turn the tide. You can count on Health Bear to do our part.

Best Teacher Appreciation Gift at BOGO

Show the teachers some FUN FIT FOOD love!

It is especially meaningful for us to run this deep discount for Teacher Appreciation Week: BOGO on 12 packs being sent to schools anywhere in the US. That is 24 cups of quick prep, supercharged  breakfasts in the hands of America’s best! This is a once-in-a year opportunity to stock the teacher’s lounges with healthy, tasty and convenient treats is here. Your teachers will feel the Fun Fit Food love!

24 cups Superfood Oatmeal for only $30!

Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Use code ThankATeacher for BOGO on 12 packs

Here at Health Bear, we love teachers. Founder Lisa Matar’s mother was an elementary school educator for 30 years. She watched her momma work long hours starting at 6am and going until 6pm five days a week. Quickly prepared, healthy breakfasts helped. Then there were the weekends- more work to do. She did it with a smile knowing she was a meaningful influencer on her kids.

This year May 6th is National Teacher Appreciation Day. Our gratitude is LEGIT. During the time spent in quarantine, parents stepped in to fill the role of teacher to give their children a chance to keep learning at home.   They learned it takes tremendous patience, creativity, and commitment to be a teacher. Now parents across the globe truly understand and value our educators. Its time again to say, “Thank You”!

Teacher Appreciation Day is a chance for us to appreciate not only the classroom teachers, but sports coaches, gymnastic teachers, swim teachers, horseback riding teachers, foreign language teachers etc…  all of those extra experiences enrich our kids’ lives and mold them into the exceptional adults our society needs. The world would be quite different without these heroes in it. Use this week as a time to thank them too. We will honor the BOGO promo to all teachers.

Have a Fun Fit Day!

HB Founder’s Mother, Retired Teacher Kay “Erb” Dirks

Converging Roads of Gender Equality & Sustainability

International Woman’s Day 2022

Converging Roads of Gender Equality & Sustainability

Converging Roads of Gender Equality & Sustainability

 

The UN has touted 2022 as the year of Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. Thank you, United Nations, for shining light on this important subject, as many of us in our comfy western bubbles don’t realize how climate change is affecting marginalized women across the globe at higher rates than their male counterparts.

 

Speaking of comfy western bubbles… from the gleaming skyscrapers that dot the skies of bustling Chicago, Opportunity International is a nonprofit organization known for traveling the globe to aid those experiencing extreme poverty. Many times, extreme poverty is made worse by changes in climate, resulting in drought, fires, floods and famine.

 

In countries like Malawi, Africa, women are more frequently leading the changes to farming practices to ensure more secure and prosperous futures. Opportunity International recently formed ‘Donor Trust Groups’ in the United States, donor groups who pool together their donations to fund special agricultural projects with micro-loans. These loans provide the women the ability to enhance, upgrade and or completely overhaul their farming operations to be more sustainable and profitable.

 

One Donor Trust Group we have learned about was formed in Silicon Valley by Johanna Mahal. Friend to HBFC, she brought together 10 Bay Area families willing to make an annual contribution of $5,000 each to enable farmers, many of whom are female, in Malawi to transition away from growing tobacco and into drought resistant beans. With financial resources behind the farmer, she is now growing a more sustainable crop that will aid in the health and wellness of the global community, reduce valuable time spent transporting excessive, and often times, hard to come by water, and increase personal earnings. Greater revenue in turn provides the farmer’s children with true possibilities to attend school for more consecutive years, and this helps break the cycle of poverty.

 

The Silicon Valley Donor Trust Group is using the experience to educate their own children about philanthropy, sustainability and wellness. As a former middle school educator, Johanna is using the experience as a chance for the family’s children to learn. “We are modeling, through our enthusiasm, what philanthropy can look like from a young age, in a very tangible way for our children,” says Johanna, whose 12-year-old son William was very involved in selecting their project.

 

Join us in applauding Opportunity International in making strides for gender equality and sustainability. If you would like to participate in gathering a Donor Trust Group with your friends and family, contact oppotunityinternational.org for more info!

Diabisity Explained

Health Bear partners with Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association’s in the fight for women’s heart health.   “Diabisity” is a new, unofficial term used to describe the combination of diabetes and obesity. Unfortunately, the condition is seen in populations across the globe and the ill-effects on the body is a real danger for those afflicted. The duo of closely related conditions increases your risk of Heart Disease: the #1 killer in the US.

Here at Health Bear, our aim is to bring healthy and super tasty food options to your table to help you make food choices that leads to greater health. Many of us need to end our toxic relationship with foods that are contributing to our health problems. The rub lies in FOMO (fear of missing out )… no one wants that!  We want super delicious food, not boring and bland food! That is why Health Bear was created: to bring you ‘Fun Fit Food’.

Looking to try some DELICIOUS, heart healthy food? Look for Health Bear at a grocery store near you- check out our store locator on our website! Pick up our convenient, DIABISITY fighting foods!


For those looking to change eating habits, it is difficult , if not impossible to go from enjoying foods laced with high fat and sugar to something along the lines of raw kale salads and wheat grass shots. To help our friends ease into this challenging transition,  we bring you flavorful and extraordinarily healthy oatmeal to help you on your journey. Health Bear is a helping hand leading your out of ‘naughty’ and into ‘nice’ food choices. “This is precisely why we created the fun flavor profiles found in Health Bear Superfood Oats’, says founder Lisa Matar. “Spices, fruits, seeds and nuts are full of flavor! Why muck it up with sugar?”

 The heart in our logo is a reminder of what Fun Fit Food is all about. Offering you healthy food that keeps Diabisity, Heart Disease and FOMO at bay!

Introducing Health Bear’s updated logo!

This Carcinogen may be Lurking in your Conventional Oats

Who’s up for a comforting bowl of piping hot oatmeal, mixed with sweet raspberries and topped with a generous spoonful of peanut butter…  laced with… a carcinogen called… glyphosate? Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Round-up, a chemical that acts as an herbicide. It is often sprayed on non GMO crops such as as oats, wheat, barley- especially those that are genetically engineered to withstand glyphosate- GMOs. The reason farmers use it to allow them to harvest and dry crops out more efficiently. Sounds helpful… what could be the harm?

Problem is- studies link glyphosate to cancer. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans. The most telling nugget of truth comes straight from Monsanto, the owner of Round-Up. In an attempt to right the harms of glyphosate, they will be removing the herbicide from the US consumer market by 2023. Why admitting defeat? Quite easy… in response to the thousands off lawsuits brought by people who claim they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma from exposure.

OK, no freaking out allowed. Easy solution… only choose organic oats (like what Health Bear sources)! Rest easy and remember why oats are so good for you.

  • Oats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
  • Oats may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Oats help you feel fuller longer- a great way to control daily calories
  • Oatmeal may help lower blood pressure.
  • Soluble fiber found in oats helps control blood sugar.
  • Oats may also help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • Oats are high in beta-glucans, a kind of starch that stimulates the immune system.
  • Beta-Glucans may aid in inhibiting tumors, reducing the risk of some cancer.
  • Introducing oats into a child’s diet early may help reduce their risk of asthma.
  • Oats are higher in protein and healthy fats, and lower in carbohydrates than most other whole grains.

 

3 easy New Year Resolutions for the Health of Yourself & Mother Earth

New Year’s Resolutions for Yourself and the Earth… 2022 is here and it is time to ‘Turn a Green Leaf’. Mother Earth is looking to YOU to fight for her healing.  Here, you will find 3 super cool, easy and meaningful resolutions you can make in 2022 to make an impact!

Resolution #1

  Eat Clean & Reduce Water Use

Did you know In the United States, most of the electricity generation is produced from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum)?  When we use water, we are burning fossil fuels. Now, imagine how much electricity is used to have your water treated, then transported, heated and finally disposed of. Taking shorter showers alone will not cut it. Did you know there is another way to greatly reduce your water use?

Reduce eating or consuming meat all together will reduce your water use.

The most efficient way to reduce your water use is by eating less meat. Nearly half of the water used in the US goes for raising animals for food.  Assuming if you eat one pound of meat/dairy/eggs between breakfast, lunch and dinner on a typical weekday- taking only one day off a week will reduce your water footprint by 124,800 gallons of water by year’s end! What an impact!

Call to Action: This year, commit to go meat, dairy and egg free at least one day a week. Better yet, make a massive impact and go full vegan. The planet and the animals will thank you and on top of that, your body will thank you too!

Resolution # 2

Buy Local Produce

Have you ever noticed stickers on fruits and veggies at the grocery store that identifies where it originated? It is maddening to see a sticker that says ‘Chilie’ when you know darn well oranges grow down the street! Instead of financially supporting this mayhem, shop at your local farmer’s market for your produce instead! Many commercial food operations use polluting fossil fuels to power their production. With shipping and packaging facilities, large scale refrigeration systems and shipping, thousands of miles are between the field and your plate.

Call to Action: Create a standard for yourself that your produce will come from the farmer’s market. If you do not have enough time or if there is no farmer’s market available, consider ordering from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your local community or a farm delivery service such as https://www.farmfreshtoyou.com. A weekly trip to the farmer’s market will absolutely get you eating more veg and that is definitely a great way to take better care of yourself!

 

Fabulous article on buying local: http://www.gogreen.org/blog/the-environmental-benefits-of-buying-locally

Resolution #3

Zero Tolerance for Fast Fashion

 Treat Yourself to Quality

As stated earlier, water use exhausts our planet and adds to global warming. Did you know, to create 2.2 pounds of cotton, 2,641 gallons of water is used? To put that into perspective, is around 792 gallons of water to create a cotton shirt. What’s even more scary is to learn about the artificial fibers that are commonly used to create fast fashion collections.  Bad actors such as H&M and Forever 21 commonly use plastic microfibers, rayon, polyester and toxic dye. To make matters worse, these companies produce poorly crafted clothing which is designed to be worn for a season or less, they quickly tossed in the dump. Landfills get maxed out and then there is no choice but to burn the trash. This trash incineration sends toxic fumes into the environment that cast poisonous substances into the air. Eventually, these toxins end up in the oceans and streams.

Call to Action: Say NO to fast fashion and always share hand-me-downs with friends or non profits. Buy fewer but cherished, quality garments that are made to last for many seasons.

Only add durable garments to your fashion collection, not trash! Investing in yourself by buying quality items is another fantastic way to take care of yourself. Having less items in your closet but more quality will remind you every day that you are worthy of excellence. You are part of the solution and do not contribute to the problem.

https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/7/20/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment

Share with us which option(s) appeal to you or if you have any other environmental healing ideas to share!!

Happy New Year!