H3 Daily

Friday, August 30, 2013

Fitness Friday: Dynamic Stretches for Running



Happy Friday everyone!  This weeks fitness friday demonstrates several dynamic stretches that are great for warming up before going for a run. Tomorrow, Saturday August 31st, is Hilton Head Island's annual "Run for RET 5k".  A local of Hilton Head Island, RET Thomas (Richard Eldon Thomas) was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer, Ewings Sarcoma. Unfortunately, after a year of battling this condition, RET passed away in April 2000. The "Run for RET 5k" not only keeps the spirit of RET alive, but also continues to bring the community together each year for a beautiful adventure through the Seapines Forest Preserve. To learn more about the Run for RET, go to the link below;

http://www.retfoundation.com/index.html

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Nutrition: DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

COMMON SCENARIO:


As I strive to achieve my weight loss and weight management goals, I want to do my best through getting most of my nutrition through whole foods.  However, I have heard so many mixed reviews about dietary supplements and which supplements may be worth taking.  I go into a vitamin/supplement shop and spend money on numerous products that sound great, but I’m not 100% convinced they are “doing” anything for me.



TRUTHS:




    1.  Under the Dietary Supplement Health Education Health Act (DSHEA) dietary supplements ARE NOT approved by the FDA.  The purity, safety or effectiveness is not regulated.

    2. The US government DOES REGULATE foods for ingredients, additives, manufacturing practices, safety, and packaging.

    3. The only way a supplement would be removed for purchase is if the FDA shows the product is “unsafe”—usually this occurs if numerous people are experiencing unhealthy side effects.  Example:  Ephedra has been banned for years due it its ability to increase the risk of strokes, cardiovascular events, seizures and more.  However, it took over 10,000 complaints to remove ephedra based products of the shelves—think Metabolife.

    4. Read the label closely.  Watch the video ;)





It can be easy to believe that “more is better”, but this is not the case.  Typically, the only way we could become toxic in a particular vitamin or mineral is if we take too much of in the supplement form.  For example, there are adverse side effects if one takes too much Vitamin A (especially from supplement form) due to its ability to store—Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin.  Those that need supplementation are typically those that have a certain health condition (e.g., untreated Celiac Disease), those that remove particular foods rich in specific nutrients (e.g., one that decides to become vegan) or those that are trying to achieve a particular goal (e.g., whey based protein powder post-workout to aide in recovery).

 THINK FOOD FIRST


A well-developed meal plan will safely and efficiently give you the nutrients and energy you need.  There is still so much we don’t know about particular whole foods—shoot, I receive emails every week including studies that are telling me about certain phytochemicals or antioxidants in cherries, beets, blueberries, kale, the list goes on… at the end of the day these WHOLE FOODS are what we need to be consuming.  Not one pill or “blueberry powder” can supplement the power of the whole blueberry or food.  Start thinking about the QUALITY of your diet based in whole foods over the quantity of certain nutrients coming from supplements…this will keep you out of the confusing supplement aisle and more time in the produce section.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Devin’s Dash 5K Training Program – Week 1



H3 is introducing a 6 week training program that will help you prepare for our 4th Annual Devin's Dash Memorial 5K, a Run/Walk.  This scenic, flat course starts and ends at Hilton Head Health, it is open to all runners, walkers and CrossFit Athletes.

Warm-up Routine


Walk for several minutes then jog at a conversational pace for 5-10 minutes to raise the heart rate.

Dynamic Stretching


Has proven to help improve range of motion, loosen up muscles and increase blood flow to help you run more efficiently

  • walk lunges

  • butt kicks

  • leg lifts

  • pike stretch

  • hacky sack

  • toy solider

  • inchworm


It is important to start off with slow movement and focus on using proper form before increase the speed of each stretch.

Cool Down


Bring the body back down to a resting state as efficiently as possible. Doing so will help prompt quick and complete recovery. The slowing of the heart rate gently will your veins time to constrict and your blood pressure time to drop. This will also help with the healing process as WBCs begin healing microtears in the muscles.

Static Stretching


 Designed to hold the stretch that is minimally challenging. Holding the position for 30 to 60 seconds as been shown to improve flexibility and recover after a hard run.

  • quad stretch

  • calf stretch

  • frog

  • pigeon


 All Cars Should Have Quick Brakes

  • Achilles

  • Calf

  • Shin

  • Hamstring

  • Quadriceps

  • Back


Make sure you sign up for Devin's Dash!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Wellness Wednesday: Self-Improvement Strategy

youbeautiful

The Self-Improvement Strategy with Biggest Payoff

When it comes to self-improvement, enhancing your body image offers a big return on investment. A negative body image pervades your entire life and takes pot-shots at your self-esteem. In fact, a negative body image never serves you well. Intuitively, you would think that feeling bad about your body would be just what’s necessary to finally do something about it. However, that isn’t the case. A negative body image can actually drive you further into the dysfunctional behaviors that helped to create the negative body image in the first place. Feelings of shame and self-loathing toward your body often lead to emotional eating and paralyze you where exercise is concerned.

Poor body image isn’t created over night so improving your body image is going to take a commitment. The effort will be well worth it though because accepting and loving your body, which may seem like an impossibility, can actually enhance your entire life. Think about it…what would you be free to do if you accepted your body? How would you feel if you really loved your body, even with all its imperfections? The answers are mind-blowing, right?

So let’s get started. Below are a few things to consider on your journey toward enhancing your body:

You are not your body. Your body is where YOU live. In order to begin loving your body you need to separate your body-identity from your self-esteem. Very often, our negative body image bleeds into our self-esteem which creates a vicious cycle of self-loathing. Begin this separation process by writing down ten things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with your body. For instance, do you have a good sense of humor? Are you creative, compassionate, loyal, smart, curious, determined, kind, brave, or accepting? Your list represents the qualities that comprise who you are -- the qualities that people love or admire about you. Your body is the place that houses these qualities.

We take care of that which we cherish. If you look at the things in your life that you love and value, chances are you will probably find that those are the things you take care of and protect. Cherishing your body now is making a down-payment on what you are willing to do to improve it tomorrow. Loving your body today doesn’t have to mean that you give up on improving it. It just means that you are grateful for how it allowed you to experience life today. You don’t have to spend precious energy on wishing your body was different. You can actually begin thanking it for what it does for you each day. Before going to bed write down five things that your body did for you that day for which you are grateful. Did you use your arms to hug someone you love? Did you use your eyes to witness something of beauty? Did your feet take you somewhere you needed to be?

It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here, right now…with its aches and its pleasures…is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.

~Pema Chodron

It’s time to make an amends. If you really think about it, your body has been a very loyal friend. It keeps showing up despite the damage you do to it. It’s time to mend the broken friendship. Write a letter to your body acknowledging the regret you have for behaviors you’ve engaged in that were harmful to your body. Apologize for negative comments you’ve made about your body. Then tell your body how you would like to change the relationship. Let your body know how you plan to treat it differently and better in the future. When you are feeling particularly bad about your body, take that letter out and read it so as to remind yourself of the commitment you’ve made to your loyal friend – your body.

If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, you’d have no friends left.

~Marcia Hutchinson

Coaching Corner: SODA CONSUMPTION AND YOUR HEALTH

what soda does to the body

When helping our Home Coaching clients transition from their H3 stay to their home environment, it is essential for them to remember that when it comes to managing a nutrition and weight-loss/maintenance program, the quality of the calories you take in is critical.  To optimize energy levels and improve metabolism, it is important to plan meals and snacks that stay within your allotted calorie range and make sure the foods you choose meet all of the recommended nutritional guidelines.  With this in mind, people often are surprised to learn how many calories are in the beverages they consume.  Juice, coffee with cream and sugar, beer and wine, for example, can add significant calories to your daily intake.  The biggest culprit for many people however is soda!  It is often the hardest beverage for people to give up, but can have the largest impact on your health in more ways than calorie count.  In addition to weight gain, there is the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease (including heart attacks and stroke), and the side effects individuals may experience from the excessive caffeine intake which include headaches, insomnia, nausea, irritability and rapid heart rate to name a few.

In a recent Fox News report it was reported that ‘the average American consumes 45 gallons of sugary, sweetened beverages per year, according to a 2011 study by Yale University.’  They cite Dr. Christopher Ochner, assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who says that “If everything else in their diet is equal, a person who has a can of Coke a day adds an extra 14.5 pounds per year, just from the calories alone.”  And when it comes to the commonly held belief that ‘a calorie is a calorie’ Ochner refers to new studies that have emerged in the past decade that suggest all calories may not be created equal.  “We’re finding some research that seems to indicate that calories from sugar are more easily turned into fat in your body than calories from fat in food are turned into fat in your body, (translation: eating and drinking sugar makes you gain more weight than eating fat.)”.

Ochner states that with the overwhelmingly adverse health effects associated with drinking soda, he recommends that people should drop soda completely from their diets. But if you still need that 140-calorie fix, he said almost anything else is better than soda.  “There’s zero nutritional value.  None,” Ochner said.  “You’d probably be better off eating those calories at McDonald’s, because you’d at least get some nutrition.”

Here are some interesting statistics according to the Boston Public Health Commission:

Sugar may be sweet, but the health effects of sugar consumption are not. Drinking large amounts of sugar can lead to serious health effects.

Did you know…



  • Drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can increase the risk of gaining weight and developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and gout.

  • SSB intake is significantly associated with weight gain and obesity.

  • Women who drink one or more SSBs daily have almost twice the risk of developing diabetes as those who drink less than one SSB daily.

  • A child’s risk of becoming obese increases by 60% with each additional SSB consumed daily.

  • Children who drink carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages have almost double the risk of dental cavities.

  • Drinking just one 20-ounce can of a sugar-sweetened beverage per day can result in gaining 25 extra pounds per year.

  • The health costs of obesity in the United States are about $147 billion annually. That’s like buying everyone in the U.S. an iPad 2.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Healthy Recipe: Beef and Vegetable Lasagna



This week’s recipe is our Beef and Vegetable Lasagna.  It’s a super simple way to add lots of vegetables to a dish without adding lots of extra calories or fat.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups Broccoli, cut small

4 cups Zucchini, cut small

4 cupsYellow Squash, cut small

1 Bag Spinach

1 pound Lean ground beef

1 pound Lean ground beef

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 teaspoon Oregano

2 teaspoon Basil

2 teaspoon Onion powder

2 teaspoon Garlic powder

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, part skim (reserve for top layer)

15 Lasagna sheets, Whole Wheat

3 cups Cottage cheese 1%

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

6-8 cups H3 Marinara sauce

PREPARATION

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.

  • Steam veggies and drain well

  • Squeeze moisture out of spinach

  • Sauté beef with garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, and salt

  • Then add H3 Marinara to the beef mixture, about 4 cups

  • Reserve remaining marinara

  • Then turn down heat and let simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes; set aside

  •  Mix cottage cheese with Italian seasoning

  • Spray oil a 9 X 13 inch pan

  • Place one cup of marinara sauce on bottom of pan; top with lasagna sheets; top with veggies; top with a layer of cottage cheese and meat sauce; then top with lasagna sheets

  • Repeat

  • Top last layer of noodles with sauce

  • Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap; then cover with aluminum foil

  • Preheat oven at 350˚ F, and bake lasagna primavera for 1hour 15 minutes

  • Remove covering and top with mozzarella

  • Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer to brown the cheese


NUTRITION                  

Number of servings: 12 servings
Serving size: 1/12 of the pan
Calories:  380
Fat grams:  10

 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Fitness Friday: Sweating with a Sandbag

SANDBAG

sandbag front squat

If you had the chance to work out with me you already know how much I love my sandbag.  I think the sandbag is a simple tool great for strength, endurance and power training.

What makes it such an effective tool?

For me, the greatest benefit of the sandbag is the fact that it is awkward to lift.  The load is constantly shifting, or at least requires effort to stabilize, and this produces an effect far removed from conventional weight training.

How can anyone integrate sandbags into their training regime?

The best advice for individuals who want to add sandbag training into their existing workout is to simply make substitutions. Take your regular exercises and perform them with a sandbag instead of the regular machine, barbell, kettlebell or dumbbell. Don’t be surprised if your poundage drops, this is natural and is testament to the challenge that the sandbag provides.

Focus on the basic lifts – squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls and begin adding more advanced moves when you feel comfortable.

To Make your own sandbag you will need the following:


-Sturdy gym or duffel bag


- Sand or Rice


tools for sand bag


Here are 4 of my favorite sandbag exercises (with photos included)


Sandbag Movements


Thursday, August 22, 2013

More Fresh Herbs, Less Salt

garden sign

Fresh herbs are a fantastic way to add flavor, color, and nutrition to any dish. H3’s Registered Dietician, Lindsay Martin describes fresh herbs as mini vegetables.  Herbs are full of vitamins and minerals too!  With the addition of fresh herbs you will be boosting flavor in each dish; therefore you can skip adding too much salt.  Substituting additional sodium for vitamins and minerals sounds like a good plan to me!

Enjoy the wellness boosting benefits of fresh herbs by incorporating them into your meal plan.

  • Basil, a common ingredient in many Italian dishes, is a top-notch source of vitamin K, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. Incorporate basil into your diet by trying the H3 Pesto or H3 Heirloom Tomato and Fontina Frittata.

  • Parsley is loaded with carotenoids and powerful antioxidants. In fact, fresh parsley has almost twice the carotenoid content of carrots.  Parsley is also high in Vitamin K and Vitamin C, another antioxidant that also helps wounds heal and aids immunity. Try adding parsley to sauces and salads to add a fresh surprise to each bite.  H3’s Pork Tenderloin Burger or Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish with Mango Chutney are great recipes to start with.

  • Cilantro is my favorite fresh herb! Cilantro is bright in flavor and full of nutrients. Enjoy cilantro in avocado salsa, turkey burgers, or H3’s Thai pineapple and cashew fried rice.


Late August is a very appropriate time to celebrate fresh herbs. The harvests of garden herbs are at their peak. Check out your local farmer’s market to find fresh and local herbs.

To store fresh herbs, lightly wrap the herbs in a dry paper cloth inside of a sealed plastic bag.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Wellness Wednesday: 6 Rules of Life

arnoldBy H3 Fitness Director Danielle Dunn

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a very well known former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician.  He began weight training at the age of 15, winning Mr. Universe at the age of 20 and Mr. Olympia seven times.  He remains a prominent presence in bodybuilding and continues to work-out an hour and a half with weights every day.  However, Arnold was not always successful.  He lost many competitions leading up to his big victories, had several obstacles in his way (born with a bicuspid aortic valve, breaking six ribs in a motorcycle accident, breaking his femur in ski accident), but he never gave up.  This clip shares Arnold’s 6 Rules of Life:



 

  1. Trust yourself

  2. Break some Rules

  3. Don’t be afraid to fail

  4. Don’t listen to the naysayers

  5. Work your butt off!

  6. Find time to give back


As Kelly Clarkson shares in her song, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”  Your body has a mental red line which individuals reach first and physical red line much higher than the mental one.  The mental red line keeps us away from reaching our bodies’ limits.  The physical redline is somewhere our body rarely crosses (passing out), however fear holds us back of reaching past the mental red line.  How far can you go? Do you know or do you tell yourself to tone it down or slow it down because you are not sure if you can do it?  Our bodies are such incredible tools and only you are in control of the changes to your body.  If you don’t work to make changes, no one will make those changes for you!  Get out there, trust yourself, break some rules, don’t be afraid to fail, don’t listen to the naysayers, work your butt off, and find time to give back!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Coaches Corner: A Letter to Family and Friends

needing support from family

If you are reading this post, chances are, you have attended H3.  Obviously, most of the articles posted on this site are intended for you, this one however is for your  spouses, partners, friends and family members.

Sometimes it’s those people, the ones who care about you the most, the ones that  truly want to see you succeed and be happy, that say and do things that backfire.   A comment meant to motivate, might cause frustration and resentment.  Words of encouragement might be received as judgmental.  Rather than supporting the changes you are trying to make they might actually unknowingly sabotage your efforts.  That is what researchers found when they surveyed young adults in Minnesota, ages 20 – 31 who were in relationships.  The results, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, confirmed that was the case,  especially when comments were made to a partner about their weight.  Marla Eisenberg associate professor of adolescent health and medicine at the University of Minnesota commented that “encouraging a loved one to diet may do more harm than good.” The findings of the study are summarized in the attached video.

Encouraging a loved one to diet

Fortunately in most cases your family and friends have your best interest in mind.  They just don’t what to say or do.  It is up to you to give them guidance as to how they can support you.  The attached  letter from H3 to your family and friends ( if it looks familiar, it is included  as a part of the packet you received when you left H3), provides some guidelines on how they can best support your efforts. So pass this post on to the people closest to you, by following the suggestions provided, they to you can be friendly and effective supporters rather than friendly enemies.

FRIENDLY ENEMIES LETTER

 

Monday, August 19, 2013

Healthy Recipe: Thai Peanut Stir Fry

thai peanutThis week’s recipe is our Thai Peanut Stir Fry.  It’s a super simple way to add lots of flavor to a dish with out adding lots of extra calories or fat.

INGREDIENTS
Stir Fry:
2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 cup Water
1 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp Ground Cayenne
1 Tbsp Minced garlic
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ginger
2 each Soba noodle bundles, cooked
1 tsp. Sesame oil
1 each Red pepper, chopped
1 each Carrot, sliced on a bias
1 stalk Celery, washed, and cut on a bias
1 stalk Broccoli florets, washed, and cut medium size
12 each Crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch Scallions, chopped large on a bias
1 each Pork tenderloin, cut into strips, marinated in sesame ginger marinade (4ounces raw per person)
Sesame Ginger Marinade/Sauce:
4 each Garlic, minced
2 T. Ginger, fresh, minced
1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 T. Sesame oil
2 ½ T. Brown sugar
6 T. Low sodium soy sauce

PREPARATION

STIR FRY:

  1. Place the first 10 ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

  2. In large sauté pan, heat pan with sesame oil.

  3. Sauté pork tenderloin for one minute then sauté peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli and mushrooms.

  4. Once vegetables are soft, add in cooked soba noodles and Thai peanut sauce.

  5. Sauté until all components of the stir fry are hot.


SESAME GINGER MARINADE/SAUCE:

  1.  Heat small sauté pan.

  2. Add sesame oil

  3. Sauté garlic and ginger

  4. Then add brown sugar, stir frequently

  5. Finally add red pepper flakes and soy sauce

  6. Let sauce reduce just a little bit then serve.


Note: This recipe works great as a marinade or as a sauce. This is a very flavorful sauce; a little goes a very long way. This is a great marinade for chicken, shrimp, tofu, tempeh, pork and beef. Or this can be a great sauce for your stir fry or even your favorite kabob recipe. Depending on how you use this recipe can change the calories- marinade would be about half the calories that are listed.

NUTRITION
  Stir Fry



Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 Cups
Calories: 320
Fat Grams: 10



 


Sesame Ginger Marinade/Sauce
Number of Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Calories: 80
Fat grams: 4.5

 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Eat your fruits and veggies

eat your fruit and veggies

If there is one nutritional message that is universally accepted and endorsed, it is to eat your fruits and veggies.  The evidence that the consumption of vegetables and fruit lowers the risk of several chronic disease is overwhelming.  Some of you might remember the catchy phrase “5 A Day” from several years ago, this suggests that you should consume a combination of 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day.  More recently however the message has been, especially with non-starchy vegetables, more is better.  Guidelines from the USDA, and  American Heart Association, as well studies such as the respected Omni Diet recommend up to 11 serving of vegetable and fruits a day.  Even for a veggie lover, consuming that much can be a challenge, and for someone who is not a big  veggie fan, that recommendation is downright intimidating if not seemingly impossible to achieve. As you might remember from Adam’s goal setting class, a goal that is unrealistic is a goal that is not achieved.  While I personally believe that, especially with non-starchy veggies, more is generally better, a new study suggest that the old 5 A Day guideline still carries weight. The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that eating fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables each day was linked with a higher chance of dying early.  Researches in Sweden found that people eating no fruits or vegetables were 53% more likely to die during the follow-up than those who consumed 5 servings per day.  Eating just one serving increased longevity significantly.  Surprisingly the researchers found no additional benefit for people who ate more than 5 servings per day.

If you like fruits and veggies and want to exceed 5 serving a day, by all means go ahead.  However, if you are part of the 77% of American adults who don’t reach the 5 A Day rule it may seem impossible to reach the recommended 10  or 11 servings.   Just think though, if you're only 1 or 2 servings a day away from the target goal, you might give it a shot.

For a refresher on serving sizes check this site out.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Wellness Wednesday: 5 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life

simplify life chart

By Lisette Cifaldi, Director of Behavioral Health, Hilton Head Health

  1.  Tame the Clutter Monster: Keep your home environment clean and comfortable so that it remains your sanctuary. When purchasing something ask yourself, “Is this a want or a need.” Likewise, for every new thing that you bring into your house, an old thing must go.

  2. Avoid Saying Yes on the Spot: When asked to volunteer or give your time to something, create a stall-tactic like, “Sounds good but I need to check a few things first. Can you call me in a week or so to follow up?”  That way you can determine if you have the energy to spare before committing your precious time while putting the onus on the person asking the favor to follow-up.

  3. Create a Work-Life/Home-Life Buffer: After getting home from a long day at work, take 30 minutes to decompress in a healthy way such as meditation, exercise, reading, or taking a walk. A short buffer between work and home allows you to be fully present with your loved ones in the evening as well as provides renewed energy needed to tackle home-life tasks.

  4. Allow People to Help: Many of us have a difficult time asking for help or allowing people to help us. The truth is, when we allow people to help us we are giving them the gift of being of service. Being of service to others helps us to get out of the monkey-chatter in our brains, while connecting to our spirit. It also allows us the gift of connecting to others. It’s a win-win situation. Try it!

  5. Gratitude, the Reset Button: When life gets overwhelming and you find yourself ruminating on difficulties or hardships, start cultivating gratitude. Gratitude helps to recalibrate your emotions and negative thoughts by redirecting your energy on blessings. Doing so births only positive emotions…love, hope and joy. Set your phone for a daily prompt to focus on things for which you are grateful.  Write down 3-5 things each day that you are grateful for in a journal.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Coaching Corner: Self Talk


Self Talk


finding happiness with self


There are many people out there who influence the decisions we make.  Many of us have role models in our lives with qualities we aspire to have.  But probably the most influential people in our lives are ourselves.  There are very few people that we trust more than ourselves (if any at all).  Over the years, research continues to teach us more and more about the great capacity of our mind.  The things we believe dictate decisions we make and behaviors we have.  Our strongest beliefs sculpt our way of life (religion, health, family, etc…).  For example, if you believe that the Chicago Cubs are the best team in the world, than you are probably a die-hard fan who will continue to follow them no matter how many times they lose.  If you really sit down and think about it, your mind is your world, and the relationship you develop with your mind can change your relationship with the world.

How does one evaluate the relationship they have with themselves?  One way to do that is to listen to how you talk to yourself (Self-Talk).  Are you typically a “glass half full” or “glass half-empty” kind of person?  In fact, let’s take that a step further.  When it comes to your fitness, are you a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” kind of person?  What sort of things do you say to yourself?

 




Pessimistic

  •  I’ve never done it before

  • It’s too complicated

  •  I’m too lazy to get this done

  • There’s no way it will work

  • It’s too radical a change

  • No one bothers to communicate with me

  • I’m not going to get any better at this


Optimistic

  • It’s an opportunity to learn something new

  • I’ll tackle it from a different angle

  • I did not fit it in my schedule but could re-examine my priorities

  • I can try to make it work

  • Let’s take a chance

  • I’ll see if I can open the channels of communication

  • I’ll give it another go




One very easy way to make your relationship with yourself a healthier one is to turn your “negative self-talk” into “positive self-talk”.  There have been many studies done showing the impact of speaking positively to oneself.  One study in particular was done on a rugby team in the Journal of Sports Sciences that demonstrates the power of changing negative self-talk into positive self-talk.  In this study, half of the team was asked to consciously change their “self-talk” in a more positive way and the other half of the team was asked to change nothing.  It was found that the half of the team that consciously spoke to themselves positively improved their vertical jump performance significantly more than the half that did not.  It’s sort of like the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it”.  If you tell yourself something enough times, eventually you will believe it, and eventually you will become it.  If you are someone who believes that they will never enjoy fitness, never find something that is sustainable for themselves, and you continue to believe that, then you are probably correct.  You never will… If this describes you, I challenge you to regularly find ways to put a positive spin on your outlook on exercise and make that a new healthy habit!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Healthy Recipe: Meyer’s and Peach Topping on Whole Wheat French Toast

wwfrenchtoast

INGREDIENTS
Topping:
4          Peaches, very ripe, sliced medium thickness
2          Tablespoons Brown sugar
3          Tablespoons Meyer’s rum
½         teaspoon Cinnamon
2          Tablespoons Pecans, chopped (optional)

French toast:
4          slices Whole wheat bread
1/2        cup Egg beaters
1          teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/4        teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat sauté pan on medium heat.

  2. Add sliced peaches and brown sugar. Once peaches and brown sugar heat and sugar dissolves, add the rum and cinnamon. Let the rum reduce and stir occasionally.

  3. Pecans if wanted can be added at the very end.

  4. Combine egg beaters, cinnamon and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl.

  5. Heat a non stick skillet or griddle and spray with canola oil. Dip each slice of bread into       the batter

  6. Place battered slices on skillet or griddle. Lightly brown on each side.

  7. Serve 1 slice with Meyer’s Peach Topping.









 Nutriton  

French     Toast:
Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 slice
calories: 55 (Peach topping not included)
Fat Grams: 2








    Topping:
Number of     Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/3 cup
Calories: 90
Fat Grams: 1 (with the pecans)



 

 

Friday, August 9, 2013

Fitness Friday: TABATA and all its benefits!

tabata cycleBy H3 Fitness Director Danielle Dunn

What is Tabata?

Tabata is a cutting-edge approach in the fitness industry. Tabata falls under the category of high intensity training and consists of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle is repeated 8 times, totaling four minutes.

 

How did it come about?

Tabata was founded by a Japanese scientist named Izumi Tabata, serving as the head coach for the Japanese speed skating team, and fellow colleagues at a department of physiology in Japan.

 

What is the research behind Tabata?

Dr. Izumi Tabata and his fellow scientists decided to conduct a study at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo to compare moderate intensity training with high intensity training. He conducted the tests on 2 groups of athletes; 1 of the groups used the moderate intensity interval training and the other using high intensity interval training. In group one; the athletes were training in moderate intensity workouts (70% intensity) for five days a week for a total of six weeks with each training session lasting an hour. Group two trained in the high intensity workouts for 4 days a week for a total of 6 weeks with each session lasting 4 minutes, at 20 seconds of intense training (170% intensity) and 10 seconds of rest. Group one had a significant increase in the aerobic system (cardiovascular system), however, the anaerobic system (muscles) gained little or no results at all. Group two showed much improvement in all their athletes. Their aerobic systems increased much more than group ones, and their anaerobic systems increased by 28%. These results indicate that not only did high intensity interval training have more of an impact on the aerobic systems; it had an impact on the anaerobic systems as well.

What are the benefits of 20 second workouts?

20 second stop watch

  • Fat Loss through Increased Metabolic Rate


Intense exercise raises our metabolic rate to about 15 times the basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Since the BMR is the amount of energy your body burns while at rest, any increase to this rate increases the fat that your body burns even when you are not exerting yourself. This high intensity interval training knows as Tabata puts short-lived, but acute stress on the body. When these intense exercises occur on a regular basis, the body increases its BMR to handle the new demands put on it. When you create an Oxygen Debt (for example: heavy panting during tabata) your body has burned off all of the blood sugar (glycogen) it has and needs to replace all of that energy. It does this by burning fat. Instead of trying to use fat while you are exercising, you use carbs as fuel while you are exercising and use fat after the exercise has occurred. The short duration workouts of tabata were shown to burn an average of 5x more calories AFTER their exercise is over.

  • Muscle Tissue Retention


Dieting as a means to weight loss often causes loss of muscle tissue. Tabata places stress on muscle tissue, which tells your body that more muscle tissue is needed. As a result, the ratio of your lean body mass to fat mass goes up, and by choosing exercises that maximize the muscle mass worked, muscle tissue may increase.

  • Anaerobic and Aerobic Capacity Increase


Your body has 2 systems of fuel, there is Aerobic and Anaerobic. Now, the aerobic system is the greatest amount of energy produced by the body in the presence of oxygen. Anaerobic capacity is the maximum amount of energy that can be produced by the body in the absence of oxygen. This anaerobic energy is produced by burning carbohydrates when there is insufficient oxygen in the bloodstream to produce the required energy aerobically. Please note that one does not replace the other! What happens is you start out by burning fuel with your aerobic energy system, and once you go past the point where there is not enough oxygen in your system to provide aerobic energy to your muscles, your anaerobic system kicks in. To get there, you need to get your heart rate up past what is typically referred to as the Target Heart Rate Zone (50-85% of your maximum heart rate (220-age)). You should use a Heart Rate Monitor to measure yourself.

  • Time Savings


With Tabata, you can gain more results in less time. The short duration of a Tabata workout increases an individual's willingness and faithfulness to work out regularly. It would be difficult to deny 4 to 8 minutes a day to your physical fitness. In addition, safety requires close attention to your body's feedback when you exercise intensely which enhances interest in the changes that the exercise routine is making in your body, and thus increased interest helps remove the drudgery of an exercise routine.

 

How effective can Tabata be?

You may be surprised how intense 4 minutes of exercise can feel. The intervals are both time efficient and taxing. This kind of workout is excellent for athletes involved in sports, boxing, MMA, wrestling, and also is effective for fat loss. Intense interval work such as Tabata, will raise the body’s metabolic rate (BMR) long after the exercise session is completed and this post workout fat loss is the end result. Many studies have confirmed that this powerful “after-effect” of interval training is most effective for fat loss than low intensity, continuous exercise, assuming a true maximal effort is applied.

What are the pros and cons of Tabata?

Pros?

Tabata will be improving your aerobic system and anaerobic system at the same time much more than traditional cardio training. With the anaerobic increase and short duration of time needed to complete it, Tabata will also fire up the metabolism during the workout and have an after effect after the workout (meaning even after you are done your Tabata workout, you’ll still be burning calories). Additionally, Tabata also improves mental toughness (or will power) because of the high intensity of it. At first when you do Tabata training, the thought of quitting may occur; however, as you pull through the exercise, you gain physical benefits as well as mental benefits. Remember its 20 seconds of work and then a break is right around the corner!

Cons?

Tabata is very demanding and should not be done too frequently. The typical recommendation is for one or two Tabata workouts per week. As is true for any strenuous exercise a warm-up routine is advisable. Because of the high intensity Tabata requires you to do, it could be dangerous when you perform this exercise when you are prone to strokes and heart attacks. If you know that you have high blood pressure or have had a history of strokes and heart attacks, consult prior with your doctor to see if you are physically capable of performing the Tabata exercise. The other danger about Tabata is that if you’re not careful and are using weights when doing Tabata, depending on the exercise, you could hurt yourself. For example if you are benching real quickly when using Tabata, there’s a chance the bar might slip from your hands. Tabata is performed best with cardio and body weight strength exercises.

What does a basic tabata workout look like?

Any exercise can be incorporated into Tabata training. However the basic outline of the Tabata training method are as follows:
•     4 minutes long (whole Tabata Session)
•     20 seconds of intense training
•     10 seconds of rest
•     Total of 8 sessions or rounds

How do I create my own tabata workout?

A wide variety of exercises are compatible with Tabata, including resistance exercises such as body weight strength exercises and aerobic exercises which can be done indoors or outdoors. A few popular examples are hitting a heavy boxing bag, sprinting, jumping rope, rowing, medicine ball slams, bodyweight calisthenics (squats and pushups). As an example, you can sprint for 20 seconds, walk for 10 seconds, sprint for 20, walk for 10,  continuing until you have completed 8 full sprint/walk sets. To keep time yourself, you can use a large digital clock, personal interval timer, or now music is sold that has the 20 second work phase and 10 second rest phase programmed with verbal cues. Get out and try Tabata!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

FIXATION ON RIGHTEOUS EATING: ORTHOREXIA

orthorexia

As you continue to reach your health goals, nutritious meals are naturally recommended. No matter what eating plan you are following, consuming healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy protein, omega-3 fats, and dairy are typically always encouraged. However, when does it come to the point of becoming obsessive? This may be rare, but it is becoming more common among our population.

A relatively new eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa is when there is a fixation on righteous eating. This can be a rigid style of eating—eating right, being “good,” and self-punishment if temptation wins out (excessive exercise, stricter eating, fasts, etc.). The innocent attempt to eat more healthfully may curtail one to the point where healthy eating is no longer “healthy.” Certain food groups may start disappearing. For example, it starts out by cutting back on all trans-fats (a positive thing) and over time the mentality changes to “fat makes me fat.” Side note-- that is not true. Going out to eat or social events with friends and family cause a lot of anxiety and relationships eventually struggle —all for the control to maintain the highest food quality and purity as possible. The motivation is on health, but healthy food and eating can become the identity. If this may be you or someone in your family see this link: orthorexia nervosa

I am not saying to NOT follow a healthy diet. However, if you are plugging away at your meal planning or grocery shopping and you are diligently focused on creating the “perfect week” to the point you become fearful of adding anything relatively “bad” to your plan, you may need to ask yourself if it is becoming an unhealthy barrier to the enjoyment of other areas in your life. Orthorexia nervosa may be on the extreme “righteous” side of the spectrum, but I am seeing more individuals becoming fearful of calories, eliminating food groups because they are processed a certain way, or cutting back on fruit because it has too much sugar. To me, this sounds pretty exhausting. Below are a few take home messages (all from personal experience):

  1. Put love into your food. Get in the kitchen, take recipes and make them your own, savor your meals, enjoy your food. Developing a healthy relationship with food is crucial.

  2. Stop being your own food police. Punishing yourself for making a “bad” food decision isn’t going to fix why you chose that food in the first place. Instead of trial and error—it is trial and learn. Give yourself some grace just as you would towards others around you.

  3. Take advantage of the support in your life. I’m sure everyone has someone or an outlet that makes them feel more confident, balanced and healthy in their life. For those at home, reaching out to your H3 family can be a good first step…

  4. Check out this video from Good Morning America: Too much healthy not the best thing


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Wellness Wednesday: Sitting Disease

Sitting Disease by the Numbers

It was back in the late 60’s when Kenneth Cooper M.D. put exercise on the map with his revolutionary book, and introduced the world to “aerobics”. In the following decades literally thousands of studies have confirmed that aerobic exercise does indeed, belong in the same conversation as smoking, nutrition and  stress management as key players in influencing our health status. The research has led to the current recommendation of getting 30 -60 minutes of aerobic (cardio) exercise most days of the week. That level has been clearly associated with reducing the risk of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. As good as that level of exercise is, however, if you spend a lot of time sitting, it may not be enough. In fact a new phrase, sitting disease,  has been coined by scientist to bring attention to this newly recognized public health issue. The point is, that if you sit a lot, meeting the traditional guidelines might not be enough to protect you.  While we don’t necessarily need to “exercise” more we do need to stand and move more or at least more often.

The bottom line is that any movement is better than no movement, and I mean “any”. In fact one study, published in the American Diabetes Association’s journal Diabetes Care, found that as little as 2 minutes, that’s right 2 minutes, of light walking has benefits. David W. Dunstan Ph.D., lead author of the study said that “interrupting sitting time with short bouts of light or moderate intensity walking lowers postprandial (post meal) glucose and insulin levels in overweight /obese adults. This may improve glucose metabolism and potentially be an important public health and clinical intervention strategy for reducing cardiovascular risk.”

So the next time you hear yourself say, I don’t have enough to exercise, if you have 2 minutes, yes you do.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Healthy Recipe: Apple Muesli with Dried Cranberries

Apple Muesli 3

Total Time:  15 minutes plus overnight (chilling)

Ingredients:

2 large Granny Smith Apples, coarsely grated

1 cup Rolled oats

3 T. Flaxseed, ground

1 ¼ cups Greek yogurt, plain, non-fat

1 ¼ cups Coconut water

½ cups Dried Cranberries or Dried Golgi Berries

2 T.Mint leaves, fresh, chopped

2 T. Honey

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ cup Berries

2 T. Maple Cinnamon Granola (H3)

2 T. Chopped walnuts (only vegetarian)

 

Directions:

  1.  Coarsely grate apples to the core over a large bowl.

  2. To the large bowl add the rolled oats, ground flaxseed, coconut water, greek yogurt, dried cranberries and mint and stir until thoroughly combined.

  3. Cover muesli and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

  4. For service, mix the honey and salt into the muesli and scoop ½ cup into appropriate serving dish.  Garnish with 1 T. fresh berries, .5 T. granola, .5 T. nuts and sprig of mint.  .


*This can be prepared through step 2 and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 

Nutrition:  270 calories for regular; 170 for small (1/2 cup)

Makes:  5 regular/large servings or 8 small versions

Serving Size:  ½ cup small

Serving Size:  2/3 cup large/normal

Friday, August 2, 2013

Fitness Friday: Wake-Up Workout



Do you ever have a work out planned that you end up missing because something else came up? Maybe you had an exhausting day at work and you fell asleep through the allotted time you planned to go to the gym. Sometimes things in life come up that we cannot control or were not expecting, but that’s okay, sometimes we just have to roll with the punches and adapt our plans on the spot. The important thing is to not let those unforeseen circumstances become an excuse and prevent us from achieving our goals. One of my favorite quotes during times like those is, “Beneath an excuse lie many solutions.” Perhaps your new work out is not exactly what you were hoping to do, but doing something is always better than doing nothing. Who knows, maybe this “Wake-Up Workout” will be more enjoyable than you thought!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Meal Planning Done Right

Preparing a fresh healthy meal for you and your family every night does not need to be daunting and time consuming. Use this table below to help motivate you to try new things while reusing your leftovers.

 







































Grilled ChickenRoasted Pork TenderloinGrilled/Sautéed ShrimpRoasted Vegetables
Chicken QuesadillaBBQ Pulled Pork SandwichShrimp TacosRoasted Vegetable Orzo
Chicken Caesar WrapPulled Pork QuesadillaGrilled Shrimp and Vegetable KebobsVegetable Omelets
Chicken and Penne Pasta with Roasted VegetablesPork Stir FryShrimp/Grilled Vegetable/Hummus WrapStir Fry
Chicken Salad SandwichPork Lettuce Wraps Roasted Vegetable Salad with Arugula
 Pork Tenderloin and Vegetable Stuffed Pepper  

 

































Coconut RiceMashed Potatoes Teriyaki SauceBBQ Sauce
Stir FryGnocchiGrilled FishPulled Pork/Chicken
Tomato and Coconut SoupPotato SouffléSeared ChickenBBQ Chicken Pizza
 Baked Potato SoupStir FryBBQ Grilled Salmon
  Roasted Vegetables 

 

When preparing and planning meals attempt to think ahead, reusing already prepared items is the key to a simple delicious meal. For more fun and new recipes refer to H3daily.com.