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December | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How Many Calories Was That Again? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Knowing the calorie counts of holiday food may help
you from reaching for another ladle of gravy or that second piece of pie. They all taste
great and they tempt you to eat way too much. But choose wisely and
know ahead of time what the best choice will be.
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Good For You Holiday Foods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Low fat
foods are always the wisest choice. But during the holidays, there are always those
tempting favorites. Try to keep portion control in mind. Below are some healthier choices. * Applesauce and Apples-Look for unsweetened applesauce to get the fiber without the sugar. Bake apples with the skin to get a potent flavonoid called quercitin, which helps prevent hear disease. * Cheese-You get the most bone-building calcium and protein from hard cheeses. * Cranberry Sauce (Unsweetened)-Cranberries spell trouble for bacteria that cause most urinary tract infections. If you like sweet cranberries, add a minimal amount of sugar or artificial sweetener. * Green Beans-Naturally low in calories, string beans are loaded with vitamin K, which helps protect your bones. Also, a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A. * Pumpkin Pie-This rich orange vegetable contains carotenoids for making vitamin A in the body and fighting free radicals. Pumpkin is also a good source of potassium and fiber. But beware most pies are loaded with sugar. * Yams/Sweet Potatoes-Yams offer carotenoids,potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. Candied yams are high in sugar. Bake with a bit of brown sugar, or with artificial sweetener, for the taste without the calories. |
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Say Yes to These Foods! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According
to a study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, most people
gain weight between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Eating regular meals and
snacks every day makes it easier to resist overdoing it holiday events.
When you sometimes skip meals because you're busy shopping, wrapping presents, baking,
working on bikes, too busy at the races to stop to eat, then try to eat a protein-packed
snack, such as low-fat yogurt or reduced-fat cheese to stave off your hunger
before a larger gathering with family or friends. If you are at a party, try to fill your
plate with lower-fat foods to limit high-calorie foods. The following top picks have fewer
calories, fat and sodium and more
fiber than other holiday fare: * Whole grains, such as whole-wheat rolls, and wild rice * Shrimp, lobster, and other steamed seafood * Plain or lightly dressed vegetables * Meat and poultry without the gravy * Salad greens (with light /no-fat dressing) * Fresh fruit (hold the dips) |
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A Great Christmas Gift ! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giving
someone a membership to a fitness center would be a great Christmas gift.
But do your homework before seeking out that membership. Most fitness
centers/gyms welcome people of all skill levels with a variety of memberships
available to accomodate them. There are four basic type of gyms, each
with its own appeal. One choice could be the local YMCA or YWCA in your
community and serves as a neighborhood fitness center or there could be a co-ed
all-purpose gym. Another choice might be a muscle gym, with no
frills and set-up for serious bodybuilders. Then there could be the women's or
men's only fitness centers, where you'll find every body type and a pre-set
program that everyone follows no matter you weight or goals. And last but no least by any
means, there could be the luxury megaplex fitness in your location, where
the stand of the art equipment is readily available, with massages and a sauna built in as
a part of the sign-up package. Each of these facilities have their own unique look and
programs. Some facilities will have cardio equipment like treadmills, stationary bikes and eliptical trainers; free weights and machines for strength training; floor space for stretching or classes; locker rooms where you can change, stow your stuff and shower; and trained staff to show you how to use everything. And music could be playing and scents may fill the air such as aromatherapy to a stinky, sweaty, musky smell. Before you make your final decision to purchase that gift membership or to make a new year's resolution to join the fitness center for yourself, check out the behavior guidelines for each facility to make sure those will be all right with you or the person you are going to purchase the membership for. Also, check to see if there will be a trainer that will show you how to use everything (including stretching mats and balls, if available) and give you a simple routine you can do on your own. Check to see if they offer a variety of classes, if so, pick up a schedule and check it out. Carefully read all of the contract terms before signing on the dotted line or making a final purchase. You might just want to purchase a trial membership for a gift in order to get familiar with the fitness center for a month or so to see if it is really what the person would want to invest in for an extended amount of time. |
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Are You Overtraining? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Here are ten
things to watch for to see if you are overtraining? 1. Fatigue 2. Increased Resting Heartrate 3. Digestion Problems 4. Decrease in Strength 5. Decrease in Muscle Mass |
6.
Drop in Blood Pressure 7. Irritability 8. Depression 9. Joint Pain 10. Sleeping Trouble |
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November | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Making Thanksgiving Dinner Healthier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A
traditional Thanksgiving Dinner can range anywhere from 2,000 to
4,500 calories, depending on what you put on your plate and how the food was
prepared. Turkey is one of the leanest meats around. Both sweet
potatoes and pumpkin pie are great sources of beta
carotene. But there are still some ways to trim the fat and
calories from your Thanksgiving Day meal. * Serve fresh vegetables and fruit as appetizers. If you will up on
them, you'll be less like to overeat on higher-fat, higher-calorie |
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Ten Healthy Vending Machine Snacks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According
to Fitness Magazine and author Virginia Sole-Smith, these 10 low-fat and fat-free
vending machine offerings are the best of the bunch -- and some even include nutritious
fiber, protein, and healthy fats! (Nutritional information is for contents of entire package, unless otherwise noted.) |
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Top
Pick 1. Planters Sunflower Kernels (1/4 cup) 160 calories, 14g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 4g fiber The Bottom Line: Full of healthy fats Second Best 2. Baked! Lays Original 210 calories, 3g fat, 0g sat fat, 4g fiber The Bottom Line: Surprisingly fiber-full Other Smart Snacks 3. Sun Chips Original 140 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat fat, 2g fiber The Bottom Line: Made of whole grains 4. Snyder's of Hanover Mini Pretzels (20) 110 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat The Bottom Line: Naturally fat-free 5. Smartfood Reduced-Fat Popcorn 120 calories, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 2g fiber The Bottom Line: Low fat, and has fiber! 6. Peanut M&M's 250 calories, 13g fat, 5g sat fat, 2g fiber The Bottom Line: Just don't go nuts 7. Fig Newtons 190 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 2g fiber The Bottom Line: It's fruit! 8. Nature Valley Granola Bar, Oats & Honey 180 calories, 6g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 2g fiber The Bottom Line: Beats hunger 9. Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts (39) 160 calories, 13g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 6g protein The Bottom Line: High in protein 10. Quaker Chewy Low-Fat Granola Bar, Chocolate Chunk 110 calories, 2g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 1g fiber The Bottom Line: Guilt-free chocolate |
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October | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dumbbell Biceps Curl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Most Important Meal of the Day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
While adults need
to eat breakfast each day to perform their best, children
need it even more. Their growing bodies and developing brains rely heavily on the
regular intake of food. When children skip breakfast, the can end up
going for as long as eighteen hours without food, and during this period
of semi-starvation, it can create a lot of physical, intellectual
and behavioral problems for them. If you and your children regularly skip breakfast to save time to get a few more minutes of sleep, remember that eating a wholesome, nutritious morning meal will probably save you more time in the long run. By recharging your brain and your body, you'll be more efficient in just about everything you do. Studies have show that children who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis. Preparing a good breakfast can be as quick and easy as splashing some milk over some non-sugar coated cereal. Or you might want to consider enrolling your children in a school breakfast program or packing a breakfast brown-bag the night before so that you and your children can eat on the way to school and work. Just be sure not pack sugary, high calorie foods. Try to keep it nutritious. |
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Ten Worst Vending Machine Snacks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to Fitness
Magazine and author Virginia Sole-Smith, pushing the wrong buttons at the vending
machine could be a diet disaster. These ten snacks are on their "just-don't-do-it"
list. Most are packed with sugar, fat, and calories.
Check out what you should avoid. (Nutritional information is for contents of entire package, unless otherwise noted.)
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Stretching Exercise
(Remember to warm-up before stretching and speed is not important.) Do about 10-12 on left and then right. Do 3 sets each. |
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Forward Lunge
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September | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Why is Sleep Important? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sleep is necessary for our nervous systems to work properly. Too little sleep leaves us drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. It also leads to impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to carry out math calculations. If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations and mood swings may develop. Some experts believe sleep gives neurons used while we are awake a chance to shut down and repair themselves. Without sleep, neurons may become so depleted in energy or so polluted with byproducts of normal cellular activities that they begin to malfunction. Sleep also may give the brain a chance to exercise important neuronal connections that might otherwise deteriorate from lack of activity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stretching Exercise Lying, Quad Stretch (Remember to warm-up before stretching and speed is not important!) |
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Mid-Afternoon Pick-Me-Up | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For many people, that 3.00 p.m. slump is often the most tempting time to settle for a quick... but not always smart...energy fix. Keep healthy snacks hand to ward off an emergency trip to the vending machine. Aim for approximately 100-200 calories. A handful of nuts (they provide protein as well as omega-3s), an apple or any fruit, or a low-fat yogurt. Stay away from sugary drinks, though! They are likely to send your calorie count soaring. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
August | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Post-Workout Snack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whether your next meal after exercise is breakfast or lunch, you should always aim for a mix of protein, carbs and healthy fat to replenish your body. (Remember, a great workout is never an excuse to indulge in a double cheeseburger and fries afterward!). For breakfast, try an omelet made with egg whites or oatmeal with some nuts or raisins mixed in; at lunch, opt for a salad along with grilled chicken or turkey on whole-wheat bread and hold the mayo. Be sure to drink plenty of water after you work out!!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-Workout Snack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercising on an empty stomach depreives you of the energy needed to get the most out of your workout. Eat a small snack (no more than 200 calories) 30 minutes before you exercise. Avoid pure carbs by eating some protein, which takes longer to break down and will keep your blood sugar levels steady. Suggestions for a pre-workout snack would be a banana with a small amount of plain yogurt; a slice of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter; or a smoothie made with orange juice (3 or 4 ounces) and a banana. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eat Right and Get More Energy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The right foods can give you the
energy you need to get through a workout. But eating a full meal, just before a workout is
not such a good idea.
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July | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heat exhaustion is an illness that occurs when someone is too active in hot temperatures. Heat
stroke is a more severe illness that occurs under the same circumstances, but can
be life-threatening. Both can happen under in very hot environments, during heavy activity
or when there is too little fluid and salt intake. Your chances increases
for getting this condition if you are participating in a job or activity that involves long
periods of outdoor activity in hot weather, you are elderly or
very young, or are taking drugs that interfere with the way your body
handles hot weather, including: Phenothiazines, Anticholinergics, Antihistamines,
Beta-blockers, Benzodiazepines, Amphetamines, Neuroleptics, Tricyclic antidepressants,
Cocaine and/or Alcohol. Symptoms of heat exhaustion may
include: temperature over 100 degrees F, low blood pressure, fast pulse, moist skin,
sweating, muscle cramps and tenderness, nausea/vomiting, dizziness or lightheadedness,
confusion and headaches. Symptoms of heat stroke may
include: temperature over 105 degrees, weakness/dizziness, blurred vision,
confusion/delirium/unconsciousness(can progress to coma), seizures, no sweating, pale/dry
skin, and fast breathing/fast irregular pulse/high blood pressure.As far as a diagnosis,
a doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. Tests
may include: blood tests and Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)- a test that records the heart's
activity by measuring electrical currents through the heart muscle. Treatment
for heat exhaustion includes: moving the person to a cool, shady area and
giving adequate fluids. It is best to give fluids that contain both salt and sugar. If the
person isn't able to drink, it may be necessary to give fluids through an intravenous
line. Treatment for heat stroke includes: removing
clothing, moving the person to a cool, shady area and actively cooling the person. The
most effective way is called "evaporative cooling." In evaporative cooling, the
person is sponged with cool water or sprayed with cool mist, and fans are used to blow air
on the person. Give intravenous fluids. Medications may be necessary if the person is
having seizures or uncontrollable shivering. People who have undergone heat stroke
need regular and careful monitoring of body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and
breathing rate. Blood tests will be repeated at regular intervals to monitor how the
body's organs are responding to the shock of heat stroke. Prevention is the best policy. To help prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures. If you have to work or exercise under hot conditions, drink lots of fluids (preferably sports drinks, which contain both salt and sugar) and take frequent breaks in the shade. If you have a risk factor for heat exhaustion or heat stroke, be very careful of doing activity in hot weather. Take regular rests and drink lots of fluids. During heat waves, try and spend time indoors with air-conditioning or go to an air-conditioned shelter. This is especially important for elderly adults. |
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Train Your Mind | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Training your mind for sports is almost as important as training your body. Mental conditioning is often the difference between winning and losing or a good performance and a poor one. If you need to calm yourself down for your event, practice deep breathing or centering. Visualize your successful performance to heighten concentration. Use your imagination to psyche yourself up with whatever works best for you. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Healthy Chocolate...Too Good To Be True | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chocolate, which is
well know for its high calorie count and fat content,
not considered a healthy food. It has been blamed for a variety of health problems. Until
recently, eating chocolate was though to cause the development and worsening of acne. But
studies by the Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the U.S. Naval Academy have shown that
in fact there is no link between chocolate and acne. Many people also assume chocolate contains a great deal of caffeine, when in reality it contains very little. An average size chocolate bar contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. Chocolate has also been blamed for the development of cavities and tooth decay but studies have found that the cocoa butter in chocolate may coat the teeth and help prevent the formation of plaque. But of course the sugar found in chocolate---like all sugars--does contribute to cavities. Chocolate is a complicated substance with over 300 known chemicals. Some of the most promising ingredients found in cocoa and chocolate products are substances called phenols and flavonoids. These natural antioxidants are found in plants, including cocoa beans, fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine. Antioxidants are important because they keep the body's free radicals in balance. Too many free radicals can cause diseases like cancer, heart disease, and other degenerative dieseases. According to researchers at the University of California, cocoa and chocolate contain more flavonoids than many other commonly consumed foods. These flavonoids are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease in three ways by: * Preventing low-density lipoproteins (LDL, also called bad cholesterol) from oxidizing and clogging the arteries * Helping the body maintain its levels of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C * Acting on the body's platelets to reduce the risk of clotting All three of these actions help protect the heart and reduce the risk of disease. Another study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that cocoa had high levels of flavonoids and higher antioxidant activity than red wine, green tea, or black tea. And while researchers admit that the chocolate bars should not be considered health foods due to their high fat and calorie content, they also say that a cup of hot cocoa (lower in fat than a chocolate bar) has more antioxidant properties than black tea, green tea, or red wine. All chocolate comes from the cocoa bean. It is the cocoa butter found in the beans that is the natural source of fat found in the chocolate. Since cocoa butter is a vegetable fat, it contains no cholesterol. Milk chocolate, the most popular type of chocolate, contains 20% milk fat in addition to cocoa butter. For this reason dark chocolate or cocoa powder is considered a healthier alternative. Despite the good news on the heart health front, certain facts can't be ignored. Chocolate contains considerable fat, which packs far more calories than carbohydrates or protein. A 1.4 ounce chocolate bar contains 210 calories, which is a significant contribution to an 1800-2000 calorie-per-day-diet. And too many calories and not enough exercise can lead to weight gain and health problems. So, while maybe everyone can feel a bit less guilty when they do occasionaly indulge, moderation, as always, is the key. |
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Motivation to Exercise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No matter how many bench presses, squats and lunges you can physically accomplish, without motivation you're going nowhere fast. According to sports pyschologists, the three most popular motivations for exercise are health, guilt, and appearance. Those are extrinsic motivations, in that they're driven by external reward-losing weight, staving off heart disease in 20 years time, or building muscle to impress others. The best motivations are intrinsic, according to Nanette Mutrie, a sports pyschologist at Glasgow University in Scotland. This means the rewards of exercise come from within and are often instantaneous. They can be as simple as enjoying what you are doing or realizing a sense of achievement. Mix up your exercise regiment. Rather than stay with a particular regiment that you don't enjoy, mix and match your exercises. Take the exercises that you know you are good at and enjoy and intersperse them with the tougher exercises. Find a friend to exercise with. Commit to exercising at specified times during the week with your friend. Set goals for yourself. Then when you meet you goals, you feel that you have accomplished something. Write down or keep in your head positive statements about exercise. You can stick notes on the inside of your closet or on your medicine cabinet or keep a written log of your exercsie achievements, and then write down all the positive pay-offs you got from the activity. Hang in there, you will be surprised at the end result of your continual motivation to exercise. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seven Sizzling Ways to Quit Smoking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quitting smoking is
one of the most difficult challenges you will face in your life. It's an addiction that is
both physical and psychological, but quitting smoking can be done. In fact, you will have
plenty of company: 1 million Americans quit every year, and almost 50 million Americans
are former smokers. There are certainly plenty of reason to quit when you consider
smoking's fatal link with lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, and especially the harmful
effects of second-hand smoke on your family...especially if you have a child
who is an athlete. Smoking is addictive due to the nicotine in each cigarette. It hooks you just as completely as its more disreputable cousins, such as heroin and cocaine, say researchers, and the withdrawal symptoms---cravings, anxiety, nausea, cramps, depression, and dizziness--are similar. Like these other drugs, nicotine surges through the bloodstream and gives smokers a high-a quick jolt that makes them think they feel better. But, in the meantime, what really happens is that smokers develop a tolerance for nicotine, which why they go from a couple of butts a day as a teenager to 2 1/2 packs a day as an adult. The psychological addiction, in its own way, just as bad. Smoking becomes second nature, like blinking or breathing. If you consider that one pack of cigarettes can turn into 150-200 puffs a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, you see how hard it is to de-program yourself. But the good news is...YOU CAN QUIT! The key to quitting, says the experts, is patience and perseverance."The thing to keep in mind is that almost everyone who quits has to try more than once, " according to Anne Davis, M.D. past president of the American Lung Association. "You shouldn't be discouraged. It's more rare to quit on the first try than on the fifth. Some people have to try as many as 10 or 11 times." You and your family will benefit from your patience and perseverance in quitting smoking. Keep these points in mind as you start the process of quitting smoking: 1. Know Why You Are Quitting Pick a reason that you believe in, be it for your family or for yourself. If you don't believe in your reason, it's that much harder to stop. 2. Change Your Environment Worry about not smoking for just one day, and not for the rest of your life. besides, it gets easier to stave off the desire the longer you don't smoke. The nicotine will be gone from your system in three to five days, and after about a month the worst of the withdrawal symptoms will go away. 3. Taper Off Some studies show that a majority of permanent quitters achieved their goal by quitting "cold turkey". But it doesn't make you any less of a person, Dr. Davis, to try tapering off instead. "It doesn't mean you are weak, and don't have will power," she says. "What it means is that you realize there are other approaches that will work better." The key to tapering off is to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. One way to do this, is to delay the first cigarette of the day. The two-hour approach is the most recommended. It you have your first smoke at 7:00 a.m., try holding out until 9:00 a.m. for a couple of days. Then, push it back until 11:00 a.m., and so on. By the end of four weeks, you won't be smoking at all. Whether you taper or quit cold, your goal must be the same: abstinence. If you choose to taper, don't let the process give you an excuse to delay the final step of quitting entirely. 4. Overwhelm the Addiction Thinks about the things that lead to lighting up, and don't do them. Get rid of the ashtrays at home. Don't pick up matches at a restaurant. Don't come back from lunch 15 minutes early to sneak in a cigarette break. Avoid places, like bars, where smoking is part of the atmosphere. 5. Practice the Three D's When you feel like a smoke, delay. Try to think of something else. Breathe deeply, and count to ten slowly as you do so. Drink water; aim for eight 8 ounce glasses a day, which helps flush the nicotine out of your system. Do something else: chew gum, tap a pencil or crack your knuckles until the craving passes. 6. Keep a Diary This technique, which has also been used effectively with people who eat too much, is surprisingly effective, Each time you feel like a cigarette, write down the time of day, what you're doing, and how badly you want a drag on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 for the worst craving. A diary, says Dr. Davis, helps you to learn to unlearn the almost Pavlovian responded that make you want to smoke. 7. Work with your Healthcare Provider For best results in your plan to stop smoking, work with your healthcare provider. Studies show that measures such as over-the- counter nicotine patches, over-the-counter nicotine gum, prescription nicotine inhalers or nasal sprays, the prescription antidepressant bupropion, hypnosis, acupuncture, smoking cessation classes, support groups, and the like are the most effective when used in combination. So if you're going to use the patch, it's a good idea to find a support group, such as classes sponsored by the lung or heart association. |
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Moms Move at Super Speed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A nationwide "Hectic
Breakfast Survey" found that mothers are superheroes
every morning. According to the survey, moms average a staggering 6.3 different
tasks within an average breakfast period of 9.3 minutes. In addition to
making breakfast: * 75% of moms helps with backpacks and school books * 62% help with hair brushing * 48% help with packing lunches Even on the busiest days, stress the importance of breakfast so that children establish the habit of powering up in the morning. |
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Four Strategies for Making Breakfast a Habit in Your House: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Be a Role Model. If you want your child to eat breakfast, eat it yourself! 2. Keep Breakfast Foods on Hand. Have at least two easy-to-serve items from each food group. 3. Make it Easy Keep breakfast foods highly visible and in convenient spots for kids to grab. 4. Try School Breakfast. Encourage children to eat school breakfast if they don't get a chance to eat at home. |
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May | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Breakfast First | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All children need breakfast to
jumpstart their day. Breakfast keeps children on target for meeting their
nutrient needs and for being ready to learn. Research shows: * A nutritious breakfast from the Five Food Groups provides children with about one-fourth of their daily nutrient requirements. Children who eat breakfast are more likely to meet these needs. * Breakfast skippers are less likely to make up the nutrients they miss at breakfast later in the day. * When children eat breakfast, it's easier for them to concentrate on learning, think clearly and be on their best behavior. |
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How Much Exercise Is Enough? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The percentage of children who are
overweight has more than doubled over the past 30 years. Although many
factors are contributing to this epidemic, children are becoming more sedentary. In other
words, they're sitting around a lot more than they used to. According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the average child is watching about 3 hours of
television a day. And the average child spends 5 1/2 hours on all media
combined, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. So children need to get exercising.
So how much is enough?According to the 2005 dietary guidelines from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), all children
2 years and older should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercises
on most, preferably all, days of the week. Also, here are the current activity
recommendations for children, according to the National Association for Sport and
Physical Education (NASPE):
It's also important to remember that young children should not be inactive for prolonged periods of time - no more than 1 hour unless they're sleeping. And school-age children should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours. One of the best ways to get children to be more active is to limit the amount of time spent in sedentary activities, especially watching TV or playing video games. The AAP recommends that children under the age of 2 years watch no TV at all and that screen time should be limited to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming a day for children 2 years and older. |
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April | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Too Little Diet Variety Makes Health and Fitness Suffer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to Nancy Clark, a nutrition counselor at Boston's Sport's Medicine Brookline, research has shown that many athletes eat the same foods day after day, week after week. By subscribing to a specific diet that is based on healthful choices, athletes think they are protected from weight gain and eating foods that may contribute to digestive upset while exercising. And while it may be true that dietary choices are healthful, the fact remains: If your choices are not varied enough, you may be exposing your body to certain nutrient-related risks that can negatively affect your performance. Eating a variety of foods offers a wider variety of nutrients. For example, if your only fruit is apples, you will fail to get the folic acid that's found in oranges. If you primary protein source is chicken breast, you'll miss out on the iron and zinc that's more readily found in beef. Eating a variety of foods also reduces the risk of exposing yourself to excessive amounts of harmful agents. For example, if the grapes you eat every day happen to have had a bad pesticide on them, you consume a higher dose than if you were to alternate grapes with bananas, oranges and kiwi. Or if you eat several nutrient-fortified energy bars every day, you might get too much of one mineral, which could create an imbalance with another mineral eaten in smaller amounts. Food variety enhances overall health. Studies suggest that people who eat from a wide variety of food groups are healthier overall and have a reduced risk of disease, specifically heart disease and diabetes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How Long Should You Wait to Exercise After Eating? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depending on how heavy a meal you have, you should wait 30 minutes to two hours before exercising. The bigger the meal the longer you will need to wait. If you just eat a light, high-carbohydrate snack like a few low-fat pretzels, you should be ready to exercise immediately. Each individual is different and has a unique digestive system, so you have to see what makes you feel best during your workouts. Some days you may feel great is you work out immediately after a meal, whereas other days you might get cramps and feel nauseous. It varies from person to person day to day. So do what works for you. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Four Bad Food Habits Teens Have and What Parents Can Do About Them -By: Denise Witmer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Skipping
Breakfast is the leading bad habit for teens. According to the American Dietetic Association, more than half of male teens and more than two-thirds of female teens do not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast can upstart your teen's metabolism, which helps with weight control, mood and school performance. You can ensure that your teen eats a healthy breakfast by maing the foods easily accessible to him. Make it a part of the daily routine to put breakfast on the table and sit with your teen while you both enjoy a healthy breakfast. 2. The next unhealthy food habit teens have is increased foods from "other" food group. Think of the food pyramid, the "other food group is the smallest section with what is supposed to be the least amount of servings. Teens tend to eat too much high fat and calorie snack foods that are categorized in the "other" food group. You can help teens break this habit by having fruits and healthy snacks available more often then having high fat and calorie snacks available. It is easier to grab a bag of chips at the grocery store then picking up a bag of oranges and remembering to wash, quarter and put them out on the table during snack time. But the benefits to your teen's health are worth the effort. 3. Increased eating outside of the home is another bad food habit teens have. Teens hit the fast food restaurants much more often then they did when they were younger. This tends to be because of school, sports and work schedules overlapping regular meal times. To help curve this bad habit, talk to your teen about only eating fast food once a week. Then make dinner and healthy food available to him/her when he/she has the time. This is as easy as fixing a plate for him/her and allowing him/her to heat it up when he/she gets home from his/her sports practice. Or having sandwich fixings ready when he/she gets home from school and has to run off to work. Also, point out the money that can be saved to use for motocross or on other items instead of spending it on fast food. 4. Last, but not least, in this list of bad food habits is soft drink consumption. A study looking at American youths aged 6-17 found an increase in the prevalence of soft drink consumption from 37% in 1978 to 56% in 1998. You can help you teen choose a healthier drink by having fruit juice and water availaable and not buying soda. Or try fruit flavored water instead of soda. One common denominator for getting teens to eat healthier and avoid these bad food habits is parent's active role in providing healthy foods. When you get in the habit of making these foods more readily available to your teen or younger children, you will see a change in their eating habits. |
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February | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Getting Calcium in the Diet If your child doesn't like the taste of plain milk, there are still plenty of ways to get calcium in the diet: * Try a flavored low-fat or fat-free milk, such as vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate. Flavored milk has just as much calcium as plain. * Serve foods that go with milk, such as fruit bars and fig bars. * Drink low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt smoothies for breakfast or a snack. You can make these at home or try one of the ready-made versions now available at many grocery stores. * Keep portable, calcium-rich foods on hand for snacks on the run, such as low-fat or fat-free string cheese or individual pudding cups with calcium added. * In moderation, low-fat or fat-free ice cream and frozen yogurt are calcium-rich treats. * Serve non-milk sources of calcium, such as calcium-fortified soy beverages or orange juice with added calcium. * Try a spinach salad or have fresh or cooked broccoli. |
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Fiber Facts Fiber is found only in plants. It is from plant cells, particularly the cell walls. The plant fiber that we eat is called dietary fiber. It is unique from other components of the plant because humans lack the enzymes necessary to digest it. Dietary fiber is made up of two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble means that when the fiber is mixed with a liquid, it forms a gel-like solution. Insoluble fiber does not mix with liquid and passes through the digestive tract largely intact. Both types of fiber help maintain bowel regularity. 1. Soluble Fiber: It has been found to provide some additional health benefits. When eaten as part of a low-fat, low -cholesterol diet, soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol. Weaker and somewhat inconsistent evidence hints at a link between soluble fiber intake and a reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart disease. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruit (the whole fruit, not the juice), strawberries, and apples. 2. Insoluble Fiber: Although insoluble fiber has not been shown to lower blood cholesterol, it is important for normal digestive health. Insoluble fiber speeds up movement through the small intestine and helps alleviate constipation. Foods that are high in insoluble fiber include whole wheat breads, wheat bran, rye, rice, barley, and most other grains, as well as cabbage, carrots and cauliflower. |
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The plank exercise
is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as stabilized muscles.
To do it right: 1. Lie face down on a mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the
floor. |
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January | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finding Whole Grain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The trickiest part about eating whole
grains is figuring out which grains truly are whole. To do this, check the ingredient
label. The product is a whole grain if the first ingredient is whole
wheat or oatmeal. Don't be fooled by brown breads, some are dyed
to be that color. Also, a food label that reads "wheat bagel", "stoned
wheat," or "seven grain" is not necessarily "whole grain." The
following are whole grains: *Oatmeal * Some cold breakfast cereal, for example: Cheerios, Granola or Muesli, Grape-Nuts, Nutri-Grain, Raisin Bran *Whole wheat Shredded Wheat, Total, Wheat Germ, Wheaties *Brown rice * Some hot breakfast cereals, for example: Oat Bran, Oatmeal, Quaker Multigrain, Roman Meal *Popcorn * Some crackers, for example: Triscuits, Wheat Thins |
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Breakfast is the Most Important Meal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We've all heard it-breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. But you know what, it's
true. Here are some reasons why: 1. Breakfast is the time to refuel. After fasting for the 8-12 hours after dinner and during sleep, your body needs to replenish its energy supply. The brain is especially in need of a fill-up, because it has no place to store its main energy source: glucose, which comes from the foods we eat. Muscles also rely on glucose for a portion of their energy. 2. Eating breakfast is associated with better attitudes about work and school. People who pass on a morning meal are often tired, irritable or restless in the morning. And children who skip breakfast tend to be tardy or absent from school more often than those who eat breakfast regularly. 3. Eating breakfast is associated with greater productivity in the late morning. Children who eat a morning meal perform better in school than those who don't. This is because morning hunger interferes with concentration, problem solving, and muscle coordination. 4. Eating breakfast regularly is associated with maintaining a healthful weight. According to the American Dietetic Assocation, children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. 5. Breakfast can add to the healthfulness of your diet. For example, research has found that people who eat breakfast regularly have higher total intakes of the following: vitamin C, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, and fiber, |
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