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Archive for Health
June 28, 2010 at 5:00 am · Filed under Health, Nutrition
America is in the midst of a health craze. Wherever you go, you just can’t escape it. Wherever you turn your confronted with information about healthy foods, exercise and healthier life choices. Undoubtedly, one of the most effective ways to benefit your health is to opt for healthy foods. Wait a minute, I hear you cry, healthy foods are boring and tasteless. Think again! Healthy foods can be foods you eat every day already, sometimes just preparing them differently can make the difference.
Eating habits and healthy foods can be very enjoyable to eat, as well as being particularly good for you. With healthy foods, it’s good to remember that the nearer the food is to its natural state, the healthier it will be for you. You can start by cutting out the number of pre-prepared foods in your diet. Pre-prepared foods are packed with salt, sugars and synthetic ingredients. Although they may be convenient, you can also prepare healthy foods in no time at all when you know how.
Healthy foods can be very easy to prepare, requiring very little time and effort. It does not necessarily take longer or cost more to live on healthy foods. Here’s an example of a really easy meal that is quick and cheap and includes healthy foods and ingredients. Grill lean hamburger patties until they are fairly well cooked. Put the patties on a whole grain natural seeded buns. Serve with tossed salad drenched in olive oil. For desert, include a serving of fresh fruit or a fresh fruit salad. This is so easy to prepare, it can be on your table in under twenty minutes and involves wholly healthy foods. Grilling lean meats, chicken or fish is certainly not time consuming. Tossing a salad can be done during the cooking time. A good tip is also to fill out the meal with some fresh vegetables which again are very good for you and taste great. You can spice up your mealtimes by trying different healthy foods each time, and experimenting with a range of ingredients you’ve never tried before. Even your local supermarket is packed full of these healthy ingredients for you to select, and many even hand out tips and recipes telling you how to prepare thir produce. This can be a great, healthy way to expose your children to healthy foods which not only taste great, but are good fuel for their growing bodies. You can also try to incorporate herbs into your meal which add flavour and are again very healthy foodstuffs.
Healthy foods can easily be used daily in easy, nutritious meals. You can even use healthy foods in more experimental recipes if you have time to spare. Healthy foods can also be prepared before meal times and frozen for a rainy day. When preparing your own frozen foods, you can have peace of mind in the knowledge that they contain no additives or preservatives, and they are purely healthy foods for you and your families. Another good idea is involving your kids in the preparation of the healthy foods they eat each day. Eating healthy foods can be cheap and timely, so there are benefits all round.
So give it a go. By eating more healthy foods in your diet, you will truly feel the difference. You’ll feel and look better physically, as well as having stronger bones, teeth and muscles, not to mention clearer skin. For such little effort, you can really see the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle.
June 24, 2010 at 11:47 am · Filed under Health
Do you ever get so snug and warm inside your comfort zone that, at some point, you feel like you can’t get out of it? Sometimes you don’t even realize it until you’re in a full-blown rut and you wake up one day and realize, if you have to do that same workout one more time, you’ll probably yank out all your hair.
Getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to push your limits a little. Pushing yourself will make you stronger, not just physically, but mentally and you’ll go back to your old workouts with a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for how strong you really are.
Take the Challenge
I’d like to offer you a challenge. This week, I’d like you to push yourself at least one time. How you do it is up to you – it can be a big challenge or a small challenge but, either way, do something new and see what you’re really capable of. Some ideas:
- Try a new activity. If you tend to do the same exercises all the time, try something new this week – a class at the gym, a machine you’ve never tried, an exercise you never thought you could do.
- Try heavier weights. When strength training, many of us don’t lift as much as we could. If that’s the case with you, for just one exercise, pick up those heavy weights and see if you can really fatigue your muscles. Make that last rep difficult, but not impossible. Always make sure you’re safe and have good form, of course.
- Add a burst of intensity. At the end of one of your usual workouts, tack on some high intensity exercise – run up and down the stairs, do as many pushups as you can, sprint as fast as you can for a minute or try a full minute of squat thrusts. Do something that really gets your heart rate up, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
- Set a new goal. If you’re really ready for a challenge, set a new goal for yourself – sign up for a 5K race or join a local cycling or running club. You could even set a goal to be able to do a certain number of pushups or chin ups – whatever it is, make it something you’ll really work for.
Obviously these ideas don’t cover every situation and each person has to decide what’s challenging for them. For some, just taking a walk for 10 minutes is a challenge. For others, signing up for a marathon might be a good challenge. Wherever you are, make your goal to challenge yourself this week to see just how far you can go when you put your mind to it.
March 25, 2010 at 6:53 pm · Filed under Health
It’s time to start ordering pometinis for your night out – A new University of California, Los Angeles, ranked 10 beverages by their levels of disease-fighting antioxidants - and pomegranate juice came out on top. Here are the healthiest beverage power-houses:
- Pomegranate juice
- Red wine
- Concord grape juice
- Blueberry juice
- Black cherry juice
- Acai juice
- Cranberry juice
- Orange juice
- Tea
- Apple juice
Stop by one of our MixStirs locations and try our healthy smoothies today!
November 23, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
When you skimp on sleep, your brain thinks you’re low on fuel and sends a message to your stomach to start growling. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that among 68,183 women, those who slept for 5 hours or less were an average of 5 pounds heavier than women who snoozed for 7 hours. Want to stay slim? Go to bed…
October 28, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
It’s easy to get motivated to run in the first month of the new year, but how do you keep it going the other 11? Start now by setting goals that guarantee you’ll stay moving throughout the months ahead.
Bribe yourself. Set a mileage goal and treat yourself when you reach it. Vow to run 10 miles per week, perhaps, or 40 miles in a month. Then get yourself a new pair of running tights when you hit the mark.
Combine (running) business with pleasure. Pick a race at a fun destination this spring and make it a minivacation. Register (and request the time off from work) now, so you won’t forget to follow through. One of my favorites is the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon (held this year on May 10). But even making a weekend out of a run in a nearby city can be motivating, too.
Be progressive. Want to build up to running a half-marathon by the end of the year? Train for a 5K this spring and a 10K in the summer. Setting (and reaching!) successive goals of increasing distances will help you keep plugging away throughout the year. Find races near you at www active.com.
Say spa. As the year draws to a close, get away for a recharging run-spa weekend. Choose a spa that offers challenging trails, a wide variety of treatments, and yoga classes to keep you limber. My favorites: the Stepping Stone Spa in Vermont (www.steppingstone spa.com), Red Mountain Spa in Utah (www.redmountainspa .com), and Red Rock Spa in Nevada (www redrocklasvegas .com). Or create the same effect closer to home: Spend a relaxing afternoon at a day spa with a friend after knocking off a long run together.
September 30, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
Genetics, biology and family history are not under your control. But here’s what you can do.
•Quit cigarettes.
Female smokers, even the only-at-parties variety, increase their chance of heart attack by 124 percent compared to nonsmokers, according to a 24,000-person study. Male smokers have only a 43 percent increased risk. The difference may be due to an interaction between women’s hormones and the smoke.
• Prevent diabetes.
Vigilantly controlling blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes may not reduce the risk of heart disease, but what does: never getting diabetes, according to a recent NIH study. “Uncontrolled blood
sugar is toxic to blood vessels, impairing their structure and function,” explains Hannah I. Lipman, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
• Lose belly fat.
If your tape measure stretches to 35 inches or more around your middle, trim down. Abdominal obesity is not only linked to several heart disease risk factors, such as hypertension and insulin resistance, but increases your chances for heart disease itself.
• Make time for exercise.
Aerobic activity reduces your risk for diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and depression. But you knew that, right?
•Take the Pill wisely.
Tell your ob-gyn about any family history of stroke, heart disease or blood clots before filling your Rx, since the Pill may up your risk. Some birth control pills can affect your cholesterol, so be sure to have your levels checked and discuss results with your doctor. Finally, “If you are on the Pill to help with polycystic ovarian syndrome, have your lipid and blood sugar levels tested,” Lipman says. “PCOS puts you at increased risk for heart disease.”
September 16, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
The following may increase metabolism—but at a price, warns Walt Thompson, PhD, professor of kinesiology and health and nutrition at Georgia State University.
EPHEDRINE: Supplements containing ephedrine are still around, though they’ve been banned by the FDA. They dangerously speed up heart rate and raise blood pressure, increasing the risks of heart problems and stroke.
NICOTINE: It’s true that nicotine boosts metabolism. But those smokers may also be skinny because they have a form of emphysema, a disease that burns calories quickly—not in a good way.
CAFFEINE: Studies have shown that coffee may rev up metabolism, but the effect lasts less than 30 minutes. You’d have to drink gallons to have a measurable impact—not a good idea, since excessive caffeine consumption has risks, such as interfering with calcium absorption.
Metabolism booster #1
Trim the trans fat – You’ve heard they’re bad for you. But trans fats also slow down your body’s ability to burn fat. “They have an altered shape and make your biochemistry run funny,” Hyman says, explaining that trans fat binds to fat and liver cells and slows metabolism. Eating trans fat can also lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, both of which cripple metabolism and can cause weight gain.
Metabolism booster #2
Go organic – If you’re on the fence about whether to buy organic this news may sway you: Fruits, vegetables, and grains grown without pesticides keep your fat-burning system running at full-tilt because they don’t expose your thyroid to toxins, Hyman says. Nonorganic produce, on the other hand, “blocks your metabolism mainly by interfering with your thyroid, which is your body’s thermostat and determines how fast it runs, he explains.
Metabolism booster #3
Think protein – Your body digests protein more slowly than fat or carbs, so you feel full longer (this is especially true when you have it for breakfast). Plus, it may also giveyour metabolism a bump. In a process called thermogenesis, your body uses about 10 percent of its calorie intake for digestion. So, because it takes longer to burn protein than carbs or fat, your body expends more energy absorbing the nutrients in a high-protein diet. Another bonus: One recent study from Purdue University found that diets higher in protein may help preserve lean body mass, which is the best fat-burner of all.
August 26, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
Get a leg up on varicose viens.
You can battle bulging blue veins by eating dark leafy greens such as kale. The vitamin K in these veggies activates a protein called Matrix GLA that supports vascular health, a recent study shows.
Rest up before hitting the road.
Labor Day weekend is one of the deadliest for drivers. Since 60 percent of people admit to driving while drowsy—a major cause of accidents—stay safe by catching some z’s (and, of course, skipping the booze) before you get behind the wheel.
Don’t buy into the highfalutin diet hype.
What’s up with the slew of new diet books named ”hardworking people who don’t have time to diet,” there’s The Wall Street Diet, and for advice on how the rich stay thin, there’s The Hamptons Diet. If it’s a lifetime of beauty and health you’re after, The Park Avenue Diet may be for you. The Sonoma Diet promises a trimmer waist and better health in only 10 days, while The Laguna Beach Diet says it’s a guide to painless and sustainable weight loss. Though most of these plans offer smart tips, some promise unlikely results. So why not choose a tried-and-true plan like the Mediterranean diet, or one that’s even simpler? It’s called “eat less, exercise more.”
Take a load off.
You know the shooting pain that comes from schlepping a heavy purse? Here’s why it happens: “Straps compress the auxiliary vein, causing high blood pressure, numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the arm,” says Tim Neuschwander, M.D. In a study he conducted, adults who wore a 28-pound backpack for 10 minutes experienced an almost 50 percent decrease in blood flow through the blood vessels in their arms. “And carrying a 13-pound purse for 10 minutes may have a similar effect, since it’s resting on only one shoulder,” he says. Try lightening your load a little, or distribute weight more evenly with an ergonomic purse.
Be a little catty.
It’s been said that cats have nine lives, and new research shows they can help extend your life, too. Owning a cat could slash your risk of heart attack by almost a third. How? Your kitty may help relieve stress and anxiety—two heart disease risk factors. So help save a cat’s life and your own: Now is the purr-fect time to adopt since shelters are overwhelmed with homeless cats. Visit petfinder.org or 1-800-save-a-pet.com for a list of rescue groups in your area.
July 8, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health, Nutrition
To help you lose weight and go strong as you stride, work these healthy, expert-recommended eats into a 1,500-calorie-a-day plan.
Homemade trail mix
The complex carbs in this snack may keep energy up and weight down: A study from England found that women who ate muesli and fruit before exercising burned twice as much fat during a workout as those who ate cornflakes, white bread and jam. Mix 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean cereal, 1 large whole-grain pretzel broken into pieces, 3 Genisoy crisps and 1/4 cup walnuts (344 calories, 39 grams carbs).
Eggs
A 78-calorie egg contains all the amino acids your muscles need to recover post-walk. It will also help ward off hunger: Women in a study from Saint Louis University who chose eggs rather than a bagel for breakfast ate 264 fewer calories throughout the day.
Cherries
A substance in tart cherries (52 calories per cup) may reduce inflammation. Exercisers who drank 12 ounces of cherry juice, such as Eden Organic Montmorency Tart Cherry juice, twice a day for eight days were less sore after strength-training than those who didn’t have the juice, according to a University of Vermont study.
Salmon
Eating this fish may help keep you from getting winded: A two-year Japanese study found that the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon improve lung function. The fish contains more than the daily recommended 1.1 grams of omega-3s per 181-calorie, 3½-ounce serving. Try two or more servings a week.
Dry-roasted edamame
The protein in soybeans helps regulate blood sugar “to give you a consistently high level of energy on longer walks,” says Meridan Zerner, R.D., of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Plus, edamame has 4 grams of feel-full fiber per 127-calorie lh-cup serving.
Low-fat plain yogurt
“Studies show that we lose calcium when we sweat,” says FITNESS advisory board member Leslie Bonci, R.D. One 120-calorie cup of plain, low-fat yogurt provides 40 percent of your RDA.
Spinach
All dark leafy greens contain bone-strengthening vitamin K, but raw spinach packs a whopping 161 percent of the RDA in one 7-calorie cup. Eat it in a salad to supplement each skeleton-boosting stroll.
July 1, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Health
You can seriously slim down and get toned by adding hills, intervals and sculpting moves. “Your muscles will constantly be challenged in new ways for faster results,” says racewalkiug coach Judy Heller, who created the fresh walking workouts.
What you’ll need: Walking sneakers and an exercise band or tube.
1. Steady-pace walk – Burn ab fat and more!
Aim for a speed at which you re hustling but still able to speak in sentences (your rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is sitting still and 10 is a full-tilt sprint, should be about 6 or 7). Depending on your fitness level, this will be somewhere between a 13 and 17 minute mile, which will keep you in the exercise zone.
Maintain this pace until you’ve reached your time goal and not only will you burn more calories, you’ll boost your heart health.
2. Hills walk – Look twice as toned
Tackling hills or stairs will sculpt your legs and butt double-time while burning big calories-58 percent more at a 17-minute-mile pace.
Start out on a flat surface for 15 minutes at a speed at which you’re hustling but still able to speak in sentences (RPE: 6 or 7).
Find a hill or some stepsm or set your treadmill to a 4 to 6 percent incline and walk uphill quickly for 2 minutes.
Walk downhill to recover, or if you’re on a treadmill, walk at a 0 percent incline for 2 minutes.
Aim to maintain your speed or go faster so that you can speak just a few words at a time (RPE: 8). Only one set of stairs? Walk up and down for 4 minutes.
Continue up- and downhill intervals until you’ve reached your time goal. Beginners can alternate between hills and 5 minutes on a flat surface.
3. Intervals walk – Get lean and melt calories
You’ll torch more fat in less time by bumping up your pace a little for manageable bursts—accelerating from a 17-minute mile to a 13-minute mile means 66 percent more calorie burn.
Warm up at your regular pace (RPE: 6) for 6 minutes. Alternate these intervals: Walk as fast as you can for 1 minute (RPE: 8), then slow down to your regular pace (RPE: 6) for 2 minutes to recover. Repeat intervals until you’ve reached your time goal.
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