Exercise even when not outdoors!

Now that I am not in my friendly NoCal climate, I am definitely feeling the chill when stepping outside for my normal exercise routine. Frigid temperatures in the near-noughts do not invite me to take a brisk walk nor do anything else, really, that involves the Great Outdoors.

However, this does not mean that I abandon my routine and hibernate in the bedclothes until I return to beautiful, sunny San Jose!

What I recommend for my clients and for myself every day is to get in that exercise no matter the weather. Here is how I do it:

1. Walk in place for five minutes. Arms up and pumping, legs up as far as possible, this can be done while listening to music or watching tv.

2. Yoga. Great asanas/postures to do while indoors include frog poses, bridge pose, cobra pose...

3. Arm presses. Grab that gallon of milk and do reps at least ten in a row.

4. Belly dancing, and dancing in general. Put on the music full blast and you let yourself go for ten, fifteen minutes!

5. Play games. Ring around the mulberry bush, London Bridge, Duck, Duck, Goose, The wheels on the bus...there are hundreds of children's games that are interactive and will get the heart rate rising as well as make you laugh!


The best part of these exercises is that they can be done either alone or with the family so that everyone keeps moving and healthy!


These are a few of the tips that I have. The important thing is to mix and match, do what feels good, get moving and grooving!

This message was brought to you by Doula Angelita, trident doula/parenting coach/nutrition guide/women's issue advocate!--

A Christmas Kiss from Disney: The Princess and the Frog

When Disney's newest princess debuts tomorrow, she will be poised to make history as one of the most anticipated heroines of the Disney pantheon. "The Princess and the Frog" is the story of a hard-working girl who works two jobs to fund her dream of opening her own restaurant. In the process of carefully saving each penny, she comes across a wayward prince who needs her help to undo the spell cast on him by the devilishly charming Dr. Facilier...and before she knows it, she is off on an adventure through the byways and bayous of her beloved Louisiana.

Princess Tiana, voiced and patterned after the accomplished actress-singer Anika Noni Rose(The Ladies' No.1 Detective Agency) is an independent, feisty heroine, adored by her parents and surrounded by a large and loving family. She is diligent, focused and serious, in complete opposition to Prince Naveen(voice of Bruno Campos)a roué who fancies himself a ladies' man. Along the way, the couple find out about life, love and le hot jazz of the Big Easy.

With the vocal talents of the aforementioned Ms. Rose, Keith David, Dr. John,Terrance Blanchard, Randy Newman, Terrance Howard and Ms. Jenifer Lewis, "The Princess and the Frog" has been carefully crafted with an eye for detail and drawn in the traditionally sumptuous, fluid style signatory of the House of Mouse. Ne-yo, one of the up and coming vocalists of the year even has a song on the soundtrack. All of this artistry is to promote a movie that generated tons of buzz months before it was even released.

As to the controversial aspects of the film, it must be acknowledged that Disney has a lot to atone for, e.g. "Songs of the South". Some complain that Princess Tiana doesn't have enough screen time and others feel that Prince Naveen should be other than what he is. None of that matters in the long run; this is the big opening for more and more multicultural films to come through the studio. "The Princess and the Frog" is a wonderful entry into the new films that Disney ought to continue to promote in future: good, quality films with high production values, tight storylines, exotic locales, singable tunes and solid human values.

"The Princess and the Frog" is a luminously dewy paen to life as it used to be lived. It holds all the hope, humour and happiness that Christmas should have, and is a nice, sweetly innocent Christmas card from Disney to you...

Drink your fruits and veggies!

Just twittered one of the easiest ways to fulfill your daily requirements of fruits and vegetables: drink them. That's right, if you cannot stand the taste of many vegetables, pairing them with fruits and liquefying them is a most excellent solution.

Of course, this idea is nothing new. Jack Lalanne and Dr. Gayelord Hauser were staunch supporters of juicing and its benefits. One of the most popular products produced by V8 is the fruit blends series of juices which blend fruit and juice. Nothing, however, can reproduce the benefits of doing it yourself at home.

One benefit of doing it yourself is the fact that you can control which fruits and vegetables are paired, and how many are contained within the juice. Another benefit is the fact that several batches can be created throughout a week or even during one day. Ease of use and convenience are other points in favour of home juicing.

A juicer is one of the best presents that one could have in aid of good health. Why not put one on your Christmas list and give some as gifts this season? Good health is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving!

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Doula Angelita, San Jose's Community Doula, is a trident doula, parenting coach, nutrition guide and women's advocate.

She is currently accepting clients and can be reached via email: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com

Follow her updates on Twitter: Twitter.com/sanjosedoula1

#Yoga108 today!

In a wonderful park, on this glorious day,
I lay out my mat, clearing my mind.
All stresses and troubles clouding my mind
banished, pushed to the edges.
Deep inhalations, deeper exhalations
aid the process.
Doubts have no place here.
Stretching my muscles
feeling the pull and expansion of tissues and sinews,
mind, body, soul working together
with purpose.





Doula Angelita, San Jose's Community Doula, is now welcoming clients for December. Please contact her: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com and follow her on twitter: Twitter.com/sanjosedoula1

Cyber Monday Idea Plan from Doula Angelita

With the holiday season fast approaching, many people are wondering what to buy for friends and relatives, co-workers, church group members, and neighbors. This decision is usually made more difficult when the person either has it all or is not well-known to the gifter.

Relax. The stress will be gone, and tension melts away when you make a quick trip to paypal which will allow you to send a gift certificate of doula services to the recipient of your choice.

Not only is this gift unisex, it will save both the recipient and the giver time and hassle. New dad anxious about his role?Mom-to-be needs childbirth education classes on-site at work? Mom and Dad need some creative ways to handle Junior? Mom needs active labour support? Dad is wondering how to help out around the house?

Doula Angelita has it well in hand. Using critical thinking skills, wit and with more than five years of experience, Doula Angelita provides support, comfort and solutions to parents and parents-to-be.

With a variety of services, from hand massage to postpartum help, lectures, readings and workshops, there is a service to fit every situation.

So, relax, do not stress, take a moment to take care of your gifting needs by contacting Doula Angelita today!

Use your noodle this Thanksgiving...

This Thanksgiving, when attending the big dinner, go prepared. Don't walk blindly into the room and then sit down and eat half the table, all the desserts and then roll around with a stomachache for hours. Bring a plan, be classy, and the rest will work itself out.

1. Drink water. Before, during and after the meals. There are now flavored waters, so no excuses.

2. Bring a hostess gift. Good manners cost nothing. Yes, this still applies even if it is "just" your mom or Aunt Gladys.

3. Don't be a lump. Offer to help, and be helpful without having to be asked. Volunteer to wash dishes, set the table, take out the garbage. Use your imagination and good common sense.

4. Be a gracious guest. Neither the food nor the conversation should you hog.

5. Be ready for gracious, thoughtful conversation. Participate in the conversation, be tactful, do not be bossy, do not get into fisticuffs of either a physical nor verbal type.

6. Half your plate needs to be vegetables. Half.

7. Choose colours: squash, pumpkin, potatoes, green beens, beets, rice...the list of vegetables is endless. Put different colours on your plate. Half the plate.

8. Meat: 3 pieces. three.

9. After dinner, go for a walk. It doesn't have to be a three-hour tour, but it should get the blood moving so that digestion can occur.

10. Before you go for seconds, have a cup of green tea and/or a full glass of water. This also will get the digestion moving and help with moving the food along.


Be safe and have a wonderful, thankful and peaceful Thanksgiving!



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Doula Angelita is a trident doula with more than five years of experience in helping women before, during and after pregnancy. She also does parenting coaching, nutrition guidance and women's health issues.

Doula Angelita is currently welcoming new clients. Please contact her: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com

Thanksgiving Stress-busters

As we all know, the holiday season is almost upon us. Not only does this bring joy, but also stress, anguish and in some cases, depression. What can one do to avoid such negativity and to drink of the happiness nectar of the holiday season?

Give yourself time. Some people get so caught up in the whirl-a-gig momentum of the holidays that their feet never touch the ground. Set your own pace, go to the parties that you want to go to, if you are cooking a big Thanksgiving feast, give yourself full permission to recruit "volunteers" to help with the clean-up.

Keep yourself rested and relaxed. Easier said than done, naturally, but the important thing is to have a go-to strategy: yoga, turning off the "crackberry", putting your feet up on the hassock, a cool compress on the forehead.....

Hydrate, hydrate, and was it mentioned-hydrate? This is a crucial bit of advice which usually flies out of the window at the appearance of the first eggnog or mulled wine. Now, more than ever, keep that (recyclable, right?) bottle of water in your purse and sip,sip, sip, sip throughout the day, throughout the party, throughout the night, etc.

De-stress through defusing. If you know that you are going into a lion's den....don't. Unless you have an angel with a flaming sword to protect you, the stress and heartache is simply not worth it, whether it is a critical mother, inattentive father, loudmouth aunt or bothersome brother, ask yourself: what do you get out of this? Is your relationship any the better for your presence? If the answer is no, then gather together with friends who are really there for you. If that toxic co-worker gets started, walk away. It's the holidays; give yourself a treat.

Vegetables. If you have no other recourse, grab a case of V8 or your Jack Lalane juicer and get to work. Begin and end your day with V8(you can cut it with juice if you like; I use unsweetended apple juice or orange juice); you cannot go wrong and it may well be the one thing that turns out well during the holidays.

Keep up with exercise. Walking groups, yoga, bellydancing, karate, Total Body Sculpt with Gilad: it does not really matter what it is, just keep on schedule and keep moving to promote health and to detoxify the body, especially with rich holiday foods.


Keep sane, keep healthy and keep well during this Thanksgiving season.
May you be healthy, happy and sane during the holiday season! Thank you for your support!