This time of the year can mean tough times for a lot of you out there. The weather changing to colder climate, holiday pressures and stress are totally normal for this time of year. No wonder the term "holiday blues" which is all the more reason why you should blow all that steam and work extra hard to make that extra time for yourself. Keep in mind you deserve that "me time" so that you can stay a bit more together for the holidays. Remember this formula endorphins = awesomeness.
If you are not a member of a gym or have a hard time commuting in the cold to one you can still stay active by doing some good ole classic workout videos at home. Jane Fonda works guys! My personal favorite is Jackie Warner. Maybe even invest in some home equipment that you can use year round. A pair of dumbbells, pull up bar, a couple workout dvd's and/or a jump rope are a great addition. We are so lucky to have all that is available right in our finger tips. Many trainers, including myself, make house calls. There are great channels on cable you can find that have exercise classes or even do yoga. For those of you that live in walk ups or buildings with stairs- use them! talk about great cardio source. And if you feel you are too unconditioned or uncoordinated to use stairs in speedy fashion for cardio you can still use them - just go slow but stay active.
There's a lot of damage you can do to your training in just a few days of bad eating and inactivity. Look out for healthier options and modifications to holiday classics. Instead of mashed potatoes why not try some mashed up cauliflower for example?
check out this healthy alternative:
Cauliflower Mash [serves 8]
Ingredients:
2 heads of cauliflower
2 Tbs. tofu cream cheese
1 ½ tsp. minced garlic (optional)
3 Tbs. Earth Balance butter
1 cup light soy milk
1 cup grated veggie cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Steam the heads of cauliflower until soft.
Put in a food processor and puree.
Add the cream cheese, soy milk, garlic, butter, and cheese and puree until smooth and creamy.
Stay strong and active so you can survive the holidays without breaking a sweat and with a smile!
Give training sessions to a loved one for xmas!
Happy Holidays & feel free to contact me directly for holiday specials at :
Mariafuenmayorfitness@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
The longer you stay inactive the more damage you could be doing to yourself
Knees are the most commonly injured joints in the body. Considering that when you simply walk up stairs, the pressure across your knee joints is four times your body weight, it isn't surprising. Simple, everyday wear and tear can end up hurting your mobility. The largest and most complicated joint, the knee is used for everything from standing up, sitting, to walking, running, etc. It's a weight-bearing joint that straightens, bends, twists and rotates. All this motion increases your risk of acute or overuse knee injuries.
Acute knee injuries (including torn ligaments and torn cartilage) are often caused by twisting the knee or falling. Sports that involve running and jumping and sudden stopping and turning, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and baseball, as well as contact sports such as football, wrestling, and hockey increase the risk of an acute knee injury.
But more common than sudden knee injuries are injuries caused by overuse or overload.
But it’s not too late. Like a rusty door hinge, with care and maintenance, you knees can be trouble free. Even if you already experience problems, exercising the muscles surrounding the knee joints— Quadriceps (front of thigh), Hamstrings (back of thigh), Abductor (outside thigh), and Adductor (inside thigh)—will help make your knees stronger and less susceptible to injury. Exercise keeps your joints from stiffening and provides needed support, making movement easier and reducing pain.
Below are some great exercises, keep in mind low impact aerobics like swimming, elliptical machines, walking, and cycling are other great ways to tone up other muscles surrounding knees.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Wall slide: Leaning with your back against a wall, bend your knees 30°, sliding down the wall, then straighten up again. Move slowly and smoothly, using your hands on the wall for balance. Keep feet and legs parallel, and do not allow knees to go out over the toes. Repeat 5 -10 times.
Bent-Leg Raises: Sitting in a chair, straighten one leg in the air (without locking the knee). Hold for about one minute. Bend your knee to lower the leg about halfway to the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. Return to starting position. Work up to 4 reps on each leg.
Straight-Leg Raises: Sitting in a chair, rest your foot on another chair. Lift the foot a few inches off the chair while keeping your leg straight. Hold for 5 -10 seconds. Return to resting position. Repeat 5 -10 times. (Also work on increasing the time, up to 2-3 minutes if possible).
Abductor Raise: Lie on your side, propped on one elbow. The leg on the floor bent, the other straight. Slowly lift the top leg, hold for 5 -10 seconds, then lower. (Ankle weights will increase the intensity). Do 1-3 sets with 12-15 repetitions each. Remember to rest in between sets.
Hamstring Curl: Stand with the front of your thighs against a surface (a table or wall). Flex one knee up as far as is comfortable. Hold for 5 - 10 seconds, then lower slowly. If possible, do not touch the floor between repetitions. (Ankle weights will increase the intensity.) Do 1-3 sets with 12-15 repetitions each. Remember to rest in between sets.
Step-Ups: Stand in front of a step, like a sturdy bench or stairs, about two feet high (or less if necessary). Step up onto the support, straighten your knees fully (without locking them) and step down. Maintain a steady pace. If you are comfortable with your balance, pump your arms while doing this exercise. Start with 1 minute, slowly building your time. Gets your heart pumping too!
Stationary Bike: Biking is a good way to increase strength and range of motion. Make sure you have the right positioning of the legs. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, the bend in the knee should be 15 degrees. Start with 10 minutes and slowly increase your time.
Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. These exercises are designed to help, not hurt. If you experience pain at any time during the exercise, stop. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. This type of pain is not to be confused with "the burn" when it gets real tough to complete exercises towards last reps of a set.
Depending on your fitness level or activity/mobility level, if you have increased soreness after doing these exercises, it may help to ice your knee or knees for 10 - 20 minutes. Place a bag of ice (or frozen vegetables) over the joint, with a towel between to protect the skin. Elevate your leg on a chair if ice alone is inadequate.
Remember the basics-- R.I.C.E. - Rest Ice Compress Elevate.
Acute knee injuries (including torn ligaments and torn cartilage) are often caused by twisting the knee or falling. Sports that involve running and jumping and sudden stopping and turning, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and baseball, as well as contact sports such as football, wrestling, and hockey increase the risk of an acute knee injury.
But more common than sudden knee injuries are injuries caused by overuse or overload.
But it’s not too late. Like a rusty door hinge, with care and maintenance, you knees can be trouble free. Even if you already experience problems, exercising the muscles surrounding the knee joints— Quadriceps (front of thigh), Hamstrings (back of thigh), Abductor (outside thigh), and Adductor (inside thigh)—will help make your knees stronger and less susceptible to injury. Exercise keeps your joints from stiffening and provides needed support, making movement easier and reducing pain.
Below are some great exercises, keep in mind low impact aerobics like swimming, elliptical machines, walking, and cycling are other great ways to tone up other muscles surrounding knees.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Wall slide: Leaning with your back against a wall, bend your knees 30°, sliding down the wall, then straighten up again. Move slowly and smoothly, using your hands on the wall for balance. Keep feet and legs parallel, and do not allow knees to go out over the toes. Repeat 5 -10 times.
Bent-Leg Raises: Sitting in a chair, straighten one leg in the air (without locking the knee). Hold for about one minute. Bend your knee to lower the leg about halfway to the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. Return to starting position. Work up to 4 reps on each leg.
Straight-Leg Raises: Sitting in a chair, rest your foot on another chair. Lift the foot a few inches off the chair while keeping your leg straight. Hold for 5 -10 seconds. Return to resting position. Repeat 5 -10 times. (Also work on increasing the time, up to 2-3 minutes if possible).
Abductor Raise: Lie on your side, propped on one elbow. The leg on the floor bent, the other straight. Slowly lift the top leg, hold for 5 -10 seconds, then lower. (Ankle weights will increase the intensity). Do 1-3 sets with 12-15 repetitions each. Remember to rest in between sets.
Hamstring Curl: Stand with the front of your thighs against a surface (a table or wall). Flex one knee up as far as is comfortable. Hold for 5 - 10 seconds, then lower slowly. If possible, do not touch the floor between repetitions. (Ankle weights will increase the intensity.) Do 1-3 sets with 12-15 repetitions each. Remember to rest in between sets.
Step-Ups: Stand in front of a step, like a sturdy bench or stairs, about two feet high (or less if necessary). Step up onto the support, straighten your knees fully (without locking them) and step down. Maintain a steady pace. If you are comfortable with your balance, pump your arms while doing this exercise. Start with 1 minute, slowly building your time. Gets your heart pumping too!
Stationary Bike: Biking is a good way to increase strength and range of motion. Make sure you have the right positioning of the legs. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, the bend in the knee should be 15 degrees. Start with 10 minutes and slowly increase your time.
Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. These exercises are designed to help, not hurt. If you experience pain at any time during the exercise, stop. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. This type of pain is not to be confused with "the burn" when it gets real tough to complete exercises towards last reps of a set.
Depending on your fitness level or activity/mobility level, if you have increased soreness after doing these exercises, it may help to ice your knee or knees for 10 - 20 minutes. Place a bag of ice (or frozen vegetables) over the joint, with a towel between to protect the skin. Elevate your leg on a chair if ice alone is inadequate.
Remember the basics-- R.I.C.E. - Rest Ice Compress Elevate.
Friday, October 8, 2010
THE BIG 4
Fat loss can sometimes be a complicated subject to teach due to so many possible limiting factors in a client's ability to lose fat.
Everyone knows exercise & diet parts are key huge roles, but then there’s the psychology – which is a stumbling block for many recreational exercisers. And there’s the social part – which many believe plays a massive, but underappreciated role.
So what happens if you have the diet and the exercise part down, if your social support is great, your psychology on track… and you still can’t lose fat?
Well, that’s when you’ve gotta dig deeper physiologically. That’s when you have to look to the four major physiological systems that could be holding you back.
These include:
* Oxygen delivery system
* Blood sugar management system
* Adrenal system
* Digestive system
Now, I want to be real honest here... 85% of clients who follow my fitness programs, those who nail down the exercise, diet, psych, and social parts of the fat loss equation, do very well. Under normal physiological situations, the body has no problem giving up the fat, as long as the basics discussed above are covered.
However, there’s always that other 15% who seem to be doing everything else right but still can’t lose fat. What’s up with them?
Well, assuming they really are on track, they’re likely experiencing abnormal physiological situations where fat loss is quite difficult because the body isn’t functioning as it should.
It’s kind of like planting a garden. Sunshine and water are requirements for a garden to grow, just like diet and exercise are necessary for fat loss. But even with all the sunshine and water in the world, your garden won’t grow if the soil is unhealthy.
In other words, you can diet and exercise all you want, you can develop a strong social support circle, and you can get your head screwed on right. But if your body — your soil — is not working properly, neither will your weight loss program.
So let’s dig a little deeper and discuss the big four physiological situations that might be preventing you from losing fat.
Fat Loss Barrier #1: The oxygen delivery system
The cells of your body run primarily on two things: oxygen and glucose. If either one of these is deficient in any way, hundreds of trillions of cells in your body will not work correctly.
Oxygen
The cells of your body produce something called ATP or, adenosine triphosphate. ATP is the basic energy source for your body and allows each cell of your body to do what it does. Without ATP, nothing works correctly. In fact reduced ATP production is one of the hallmarks of the aging process.
While there are many nutrients that help with the production of ATP, one of the most fundamental components is oxygen. If your cells are not receiving adequate amounts of oxygen, nothing in your body will work correctly… including weight loss.
In conventional medicine, a decrease in the ability to deliver oxygen to cells is often called anemia, a condition referring to a quantitative and/or qualitative deficiency in red blood cells’ ability to deliver oxygen to the tissues and organs of the body.
While a full discussion on anemia and your body’s inability to deliver oxygen to cells is too extensive to cover here, you can start by getting your doctor to run standard blood work, which should include RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, iron, ferritin and transferrin.
Fat Loss Barrier #2: The blood sugar management system
Blood sugar balance is the focus of virtually every diet book from The Pritikin Diet to The Atkins Diet. And with good reason: imbalanced blood sugar levels are at the crux of many health issues, including being overweight.
When talking about blood sugar balance, for simplicity’s sake, there are two possibilities:
Insulin resistance – chronically elevated blood sugar levels
Hypoglycemia – blood sugar fluctuations – sometimes it’s high and sometimes it’s low.
Both of these imbalances result in elevated insulin.
Insulin resistance
When someone is insulin resistant, glucose can no longer effectively enter into the cell. Because blood sugar is not adequately entering the cells, it stays in general circulation rather than being stored. As a result, the body produces higher levels of insulin to remove glucose from the blood stream, which causes even greater metabolic dysfunction.
Hypoglycemia
Individuals with hypoglycemic tendencies will have periods of low blood sugar and therefore surges of insulin, rather than chronically elevated levels. During periods of low blood sugar, adrenaline is often used to elevate blood sugar, causing a sharp rise in glucose and insulin. Below highlights some of the symptoms associated with each imbalance.
Hypoglycemic tendencies Insulin resistant tendencies
Feels better after meals Feels tired after meals
Sugar cravings before meals Sugar cravings after meals
Difficulty staying asleep at night May have difficulty getting to sleep at night
There are numerous problems with insulin surges. Blood sugar imbalances are typically assessed through routine blood work run by your doctor.
Fat Loss Barrier #3: The adrenal system
The adrenal glands are your body’s primary defense for managing stress.
When the adrenal glands are activated, they produce a number of hormones that help your body deal with both acute and chronic stressors. One such hormone is cortisol.
Cortisol’s primary function is to increase blood sugar levels so your brain, muscles and organs have enough fuel to get you through a stressful situation. Problems occur when stress becomes chronic.
Chronically elevated cortisol levels increase blood sugar levels, which then elevate insulin levels. This, among other things, will stop you from burning fat no matter what exercise or diet program you follow.
There are many chronic stressors in today’s society including mental/emotional stress, food sensitivities, blood sugar imbalances, infections (i.e. parasitic, bacterial), excessive exercise… basically anything that is a perceived stress on the body.
The most effective way of assessing adrenal gland function is the Adrenal Salivary Test. This test uses four salivary samples throughout the day and assesses levels of salivary cortisol and DHEA.
Most integrated and holistic doctors run this test.
Fat Loss Barrier #4: The gastrointestinal system
A properly functioning gastrointestinal system is critical for overall health and well-being. In fact, we should start treating our gut with care if we are interested in weight loss.
How do you know if you have a dysfunctional digestive system? Any of the following symptoms can indicate gastrointestinal issues:
• gas
• bloating
• burping after meals
• inadequate digestion (feeling like you have a brick in your stomach after you eat)
• undigested food in your stools
• foul smelling stools
• constipation
• diarrhea
• burning in the stomach
• bad breath
• nausea
Additionally, hormonal imbalances, migraines, allergies, eczema, and autoimmune disease all have links to the gastrointestinal system.
A dysfunctional gastrointestinal system can virtually ruin your chances of weight loss. From a compromised immune system, to a stress hormone imbalances, to an altered sex hormones, to blood sugar irregularities — many of these problems start in the gut.
One of the best ways to stop a vicious GI-related cycle is to control inflammation and identify food sensitivities. A strict elimination diet for a period of 3-6 weeks has helped countless people alleviate their gastrointestinal issues. Talk with your doctor for more information.
Again for record this is only for that 15% out there who follow program and are still stumped... before starting exercise program its always best to see doctor before- not only to get exercise clearance but to see how you are doing in all above aspects.
Everyone knows exercise & diet parts are key huge roles, but then there’s the psychology – which is a stumbling block for many recreational exercisers. And there’s the social part – which many believe plays a massive, but underappreciated role.
So what happens if you have the diet and the exercise part down, if your social support is great, your psychology on track… and you still can’t lose fat?
Well, that’s when you’ve gotta dig deeper physiologically. That’s when you have to look to the four major physiological systems that could be holding you back.
These include:
* Oxygen delivery system
* Blood sugar management system
* Adrenal system
* Digestive system
Now, I want to be real honest here... 85% of clients who follow my fitness programs, those who nail down the exercise, diet, psych, and social parts of the fat loss equation, do very well. Under normal physiological situations, the body has no problem giving up the fat, as long as the basics discussed above are covered.
However, there’s always that other 15% who seem to be doing everything else right but still can’t lose fat. What’s up with them?
Well, assuming they really are on track, they’re likely experiencing abnormal physiological situations where fat loss is quite difficult because the body isn’t functioning as it should.
It’s kind of like planting a garden. Sunshine and water are requirements for a garden to grow, just like diet and exercise are necessary for fat loss. But even with all the sunshine and water in the world, your garden won’t grow if the soil is unhealthy.
In other words, you can diet and exercise all you want, you can develop a strong social support circle, and you can get your head screwed on right. But if your body — your soil — is not working properly, neither will your weight loss program.
So let’s dig a little deeper and discuss the big four physiological situations that might be preventing you from losing fat.
Fat Loss Barrier #1: The oxygen delivery system
The cells of your body run primarily on two things: oxygen and glucose. If either one of these is deficient in any way, hundreds of trillions of cells in your body will not work correctly.
Oxygen
The cells of your body produce something called ATP or, adenosine triphosphate. ATP is the basic energy source for your body and allows each cell of your body to do what it does. Without ATP, nothing works correctly. In fact reduced ATP production is one of the hallmarks of the aging process.
While there are many nutrients that help with the production of ATP, one of the most fundamental components is oxygen. If your cells are not receiving adequate amounts of oxygen, nothing in your body will work correctly… including weight loss.
In conventional medicine, a decrease in the ability to deliver oxygen to cells is often called anemia, a condition referring to a quantitative and/or qualitative deficiency in red blood cells’ ability to deliver oxygen to the tissues and organs of the body.
While a full discussion on anemia and your body’s inability to deliver oxygen to cells is too extensive to cover here, you can start by getting your doctor to run standard blood work, which should include RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, iron, ferritin and transferrin.
Fat Loss Barrier #2: The blood sugar management system
Blood sugar balance is the focus of virtually every diet book from The Pritikin Diet to The Atkins Diet. And with good reason: imbalanced blood sugar levels are at the crux of many health issues, including being overweight.
When talking about blood sugar balance, for simplicity’s sake, there are two possibilities:
Insulin resistance – chronically elevated blood sugar levels
Hypoglycemia – blood sugar fluctuations – sometimes it’s high and sometimes it’s low.
Both of these imbalances result in elevated insulin.
Insulin resistance
When someone is insulin resistant, glucose can no longer effectively enter into the cell. Because blood sugar is not adequately entering the cells, it stays in general circulation rather than being stored. As a result, the body produces higher levels of insulin to remove glucose from the blood stream, which causes even greater metabolic dysfunction.
Hypoglycemia
Individuals with hypoglycemic tendencies will have periods of low blood sugar and therefore surges of insulin, rather than chronically elevated levels. During periods of low blood sugar, adrenaline is often used to elevate blood sugar, causing a sharp rise in glucose and insulin. Below highlights some of the symptoms associated with each imbalance.
Hypoglycemic tendencies Insulin resistant tendencies
Feels better after meals Feels tired after meals
Sugar cravings before meals Sugar cravings after meals
Difficulty staying asleep at night May have difficulty getting to sleep at night
There are numerous problems with insulin surges. Blood sugar imbalances are typically assessed through routine blood work run by your doctor.
Fat Loss Barrier #3: The adrenal system
The adrenal glands are your body’s primary defense for managing stress.
When the adrenal glands are activated, they produce a number of hormones that help your body deal with both acute and chronic stressors. One such hormone is cortisol.
Cortisol’s primary function is to increase blood sugar levels so your brain, muscles and organs have enough fuel to get you through a stressful situation. Problems occur when stress becomes chronic.
Chronically elevated cortisol levels increase blood sugar levels, which then elevate insulin levels. This, among other things, will stop you from burning fat no matter what exercise or diet program you follow.
There are many chronic stressors in today’s society including mental/emotional stress, food sensitivities, blood sugar imbalances, infections (i.e. parasitic, bacterial), excessive exercise… basically anything that is a perceived stress on the body.
The most effective way of assessing adrenal gland function is the Adrenal Salivary Test. This test uses four salivary samples throughout the day and assesses levels of salivary cortisol and DHEA.
Most integrated and holistic doctors run this test.
Fat Loss Barrier #4: The gastrointestinal system
A properly functioning gastrointestinal system is critical for overall health and well-being. In fact, we should start treating our gut with care if we are interested in weight loss.
How do you know if you have a dysfunctional digestive system? Any of the following symptoms can indicate gastrointestinal issues:
• gas
• bloating
• burping after meals
• inadequate digestion (feeling like you have a brick in your stomach after you eat)
• undigested food in your stools
• foul smelling stools
• constipation
• diarrhea
• burning in the stomach
• bad breath
• nausea
Additionally, hormonal imbalances, migraines, allergies, eczema, and autoimmune disease all have links to the gastrointestinal system.
A dysfunctional gastrointestinal system can virtually ruin your chances of weight loss. From a compromised immune system, to a stress hormone imbalances, to an altered sex hormones, to blood sugar irregularities — many of these problems start in the gut.
One of the best ways to stop a vicious GI-related cycle is to control inflammation and identify food sensitivities. A strict elimination diet for a period of 3-6 weeks has helped countless people alleviate their gastrointestinal issues. Talk with your doctor for more information.
Again for record this is only for that 15% out there who follow program and are still stumped... before starting exercise program its always best to see doctor before- not only to get exercise clearance but to see how you are doing in all above aspects.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Happy Hips
We are always told listen to what their bodies are saying. Sometimes, we mean that literally--as with the case of a popping hip. Runners may feel the sensation or hear the sound of snapping or clicking when their hip is flexed and extended. This occurs when a muscle or a tendon moves abnormally over a bone. In the hip, this can happen at the iliotibial band (outside of the hip) or the iliopsoas tendon (pelvic area). Runners should take it as a sign that their medial hip rotators (part of the hip-flexor group) are weak and inflexible. Strengthening them and increasing their range of motion will stop the pop and prevent hip bursitis (inflammation of the sacs that let muscles move smoothly over bone), a painful condition that can disrupt your running.
What you can do...
Work on building range of motion and strength in your medial hip rotators. The "flexibility" exercise can be done before and after a run, as well as throughout the day. The "strength" move should be done at least twice a week after you run. If the popping becomes more frequent and is increasingly uncomfortable, see a doctor. Torn cartilage in the hip joint may be responsible, which sometimes requires surgery.
Improve flexibility
1. Sit straight in a chair with both feet on the floor directly under your knees.
2. Place your right foot on the thigh of your left leg, resting the ankle just behind the knee.
3. Contract the muscles in the hip and outer thigh of the right leg as you gently lower the right knee toward the ground.
4. Use your right hand to gently press the right knee down while stabilizing and holding the foot in place.
5. Hold for a second or two, release, and repeat 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Build Strength on this...
1. Loop a stretching rope around the arch of your right foot, keeping the ends to the outside of your leg.
2. Lift the rope up to remove any slack.
3. Place your left hand on your right thigh to stabilize the leg and keep your upper leg from lifting.
4. Rotate the lower part of your right leg away from the center of your body. Gently pull on the rope to extend the range of motion.
5. Hold for a second or two, release, and repeat 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Make sure to include proper dynamic warm up before a run and cool down with stretch as well. You can always strengthen hips by doing lunges, squats, step ups, bent knee good mornings, stiff legged-deadlift, hip bridge, and even lying hip abduction.
Happy Hips everyone!
What you can do...
Work on building range of motion and strength in your medial hip rotators. The "flexibility" exercise can be done before and after a run, as well as throughout the day. The "strength" move should be done at least twice a week after you run. If the popping becomes more frequent and is increasingly uncomfortable, see a doctor. Torn cartilage in the hip joint may be responsible, which sometimes requires surgery.
Improve flexibility
1. Sit straight in a chair with both feet on the floor directly under your knees.
2. Place your right foot on the thigh of your left leg, resting the ankle just behind the knee.
3. Contract the muscles in the hip and outer thigh of the right leg as you gently lower the right knee toward the ground.
4. Use your right hand to gently press the right knee down while stabilizing and holding the foot in place.
5. Hold for a second or two, release, and repeat 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Build Strength on this...
1. Loop a stretching rope around the arch of your right foot, keeping the ends to the outside of your leg.
2. Lift the rope up to remove any slack.
3. Place your left hand on your right thigh to stabilize the leg and keep your upper leg from lifting.
4. Rotate the lower part of your right leg away from the center of your body. Gently pull on the rope to extend the range of motion.
5. Hold for a second or two, release, and repeat 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Make sure to include proper dynamic warm up before a run and cool down with stretch as well. You can always strengthen hips by doing lunges, squats, step ups, bent knee good mornings, stiff legged-deadlift, hip bridge, and even lying hip abduction.
Happy Hips everyone!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Delicious Kale !
Howdy guys !
Thought i would share this awesome recipe for delicious kale salad !!!!!
1 bunch of kale, any variety, steamed for 5 minutes
1 whole cucumber, washed & diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 to 1 Tbsp of pine nuts
1/2 an avocado
3 ounces of low-fat feta cheese or goat cheese
generous handful of watercress, rinsed and chopped
handful of dried cranberries
Dressing:
Best with the juice of a lemon squeezed over it plus 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a little salt & pepper.
Thought i would share this awesome recipe for delicious kale salad !!!!!
1 bunch of kale, any variety, steamed for 5 minutes
1 whole cucumber, washed & diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 to 1 Tbsp of pine nuts
1/2 an avocado
3 ounces of low-fat feta cheese or goat cheese
generous handful of watercress, rinsed and chopped
handful of dried cranberries
Dressing:
Best with the juice of a lemon squeezed over it plus 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a little salt & pepper.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Summer - time to unwind
Summertime and a lot of us feel the pressure to lose weight, tighten up those loose areas, squeeze into bikinis or swim trunks and not feel self-conscious about it. This will come as a surprise to many of you --- the best place to start is not with your outside appearance, but rather start from what’s going on inside the Nervous System.
The nervous system is where it all starts. In simple terms, if your body was a car, the exterior is your skin, muscles, bone, etc. The nervous system is that complicated computer that starts up when you turn the key. Imagine for a second that your nervous system (computer electronics) were to malfunction. How well would your car work then? Your lights wouldn’t work, your brakes could fail. It’s the same grave situation with your nervous system malfunctioning. So let’s talk about what we can do to better serve (or service) it, because this will lead to a healthy summer body functioning at it’s optimal level.
First, I will start with how we harm our nervous system and the repercussions of such abuse. Excessive exercise, little- to no-rest between intense exercise sessions; lack of sleep (ideally 8 hours); too much caffeine, sugar, processed foods, alcohol, drugs; over-eating; loud and chaotic lifestyles; over-working, over-scheduling. These actions fry our fragile nervous system, making many of us feel wired, anxious, angry, impatient, irritable, others feel constantly tired, depressed, apathetic. Eventually, a tired and fried nervous system leads to excessive body fat and being overweight; chronic aches, pains and tightness; a run down immune system; mental fuzziness, emotional numbness and/or overreacting. I don’t know about any of you, but I think I’m going to be paying more attention to this subtle, fragile system. For when actually listened to and cared for, it can achieve powerful results.
How can we enhance our body’s command center? Many things we already know. Consistent exercise (cardio 4 to 5 days a week for 20 to 30 minutes; strength training 2 to 3 days per week; flexibility 4 to 5 days a week for 10 to 15 minutes); a clean and nutritionally balanced meal plan daily; recuperation such as regular massages, easy yoga, meditation, slow walks in the mountains and parks, sitting at the ocean; focussing on your breathing throughout the day and some type of stillness and inner reflection time daily is also a nervous system recharge.
So, before we all consider how we look on the outside, let’s not forget it can’t be done without paying attention to the inside. I encourage us all to be more sensitive to the subtle powers of this amazing body we live in that is run by this super complicated computer system called the Nervous System.
The nervous system is where it all starts. In simple terms, if your body was a car, the exterior is your skin, muscles, bone, etc. The nervous system is that complicated computer that starts up when you turn the key. Imagine for a second that your nervous system (computer electronics) were to malfunction. How well would your car work then? Your lights wouldn’t work, your brakes could fail. It’s the same grave situation with your nervous system malfunctioning. So let’s talk about what we can do to better serve (or service) it, because this will lead to a healthy summer body functioning at it’s optimal level.
First, I will start with how we harm our nervous system and the repercussions of such abuse. Excessive exercise, little- to no-rest between intense exercise sessions; lack of sleep (ideally 8 hours); too much caffeine, sugar, processed foods, alcohol, drugs; over-eating; loud and chaotic lifestyles; over-working, over-scheduling. These actions fry our fragile nervous system, making many of us feel wired, anxious, angry, impatient, irritable, others feel constantly tired, depressed, apathetic. Eventually, a tired and fried nervous system leads to excessive body fat and being overweight; chronic aches, pains and tightness; a run down immune system; mental fuzziness, emotional numbness and/or overreacting. I don’t know about any of you, but I think I’m going to be paying more attention to this subtle, fragile system. For when actually listened to and cared for, it can achieve powerful results.
How can we enhance our body’s command center? Many things we already know. Consistent exercise (cardio 4 to 5 days a week for 20 to 30 minutes; strength training 2 to 3 days per week; flexibility 4 to 5 days a week for 10 to 15 minutes); a clean and nutritionally balanced meal plan daily; recuperation such as regular massages, easy yoga, meditation, slow walks in the mountains and parks, sitting at the ocean; focussing on your breathing throughout the day and some type of stillness and inner reflection time daily is also a nervous system recharge.
So, before we all consider how we look on the outside, let’s not forget it can’t be done without paying attention to the inside. I encourage us all to be more sensitive to the subtle powers of this amazing body we live in that is run by this super complicated computer system called the Nervous System.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Again with the quinoa
Ever want a change from warm oatmeal in the morning?
Quinoa is an ancient grain full of easily digestible protein, gluten-free, and low on the glycemic index. The smallness of the grain makes it a quick cooker too!
Always start by soaking your quinoa for at least 30 minutes to neutralize the phytic acid that naturally occurs in almost all grains. If you want to speed up your morning routine, just put your quinoa in the pan of water the night before. Right before you cook it, rinse it under running water, then put it back in the pan and cover with water (about 3/4 cup water to 1/2 cup of quinoa). Add a pinch of sea salt, some cinnamon, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until flaky. I like to add chopped apples, nuts and raisins, blueberries or dried currants/cranberries to mine. I also top it with goat's milk plain yogurt, though you can add milk, if you prefer.
QUINOA BREAKFAST INGREDIENTS (one serving):
1/2 c. Quinoa
3/4 c. Water
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon to taste
(optionally, add chopped apples, nuts and raisins)
Quinoa is an ancient grain full of easily digestible protein, gluten-free, and low on the glycemic index. The smallness of the grain makes it a quick cooker too!
Always start by soaking your quinoa for at least 30 minutes to neutralize the phytic acid that naturally occurs in almost all grains. If you want to speed up your morning routine, just put your quinoa in the pan of water the night before. Right before you cook it, rinse it under running water, then put it back in the pan and cover with water (about 3/4 cup water to 1/2 cup of quinoa). Add a pinch of sea salt, some cinnamon, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until flaky. I like to add chopped apples, nuts and raisins, blueberries or dried currants/cranberries to mine. I also top it with goat's milk plain yogurt, though you can add milk, if you prefer.
QUINOA BREAKFAST INGREDIENTS (one serving):
1/2 c. Quinoa
3/4 c. Water
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon to taste
(optionally, add chopped apples, nuts and raisins)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Exercise your brain with a run
Some of you may know this but for those who don't, its a scientifically proven fact that its harder to solve challenging math problems while engaged under an intense workout because exercise takes fuel and oxygen from the parts of the brain that are in charge of such tasks. Those parts of the brain are too busy ensuring motor centers are well supplied. The amazing fact here is that the brain is never sharper after a run. After has little as 30 minutes of cardio exercise, the brain has elevated levels of chemicals, such as BDNF ( brain derived neurotrophic factor) that enhance your ability to remember, learn, compute, and analyze.
In a 2007 German study, people learned new words 20% faster after a workout. And thats just one study out of a million that support this.
Maybe we can think about this as we turn off our alarms in early mornings and fight urge to snooze and get up and go for a run and start our mental warm ups to a great new day.
In a 2007 German study, people learned new words 20% faster after a workout. And thats just one study out of a million that support this.
Maybe we can think about this as we turn off our alarms in early mornings and fight urge to snooze and get up and go for a run and start our mental warm ups to a great new day.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Amazing 7's
A friend of mine asked what would make the top 7 list for my favorite exercises that I would recommend to boost metabolism and burn fat. Check these out, but remember use proper form and/or under supervision of professional at a gym etc.
1. Bent over rows
2. Deadlifts
3.Clean & Press
4. Bench press
5. Pull ups
6. Dips
7. Squats
Remember If you are new to exercising, especially focus on form first rather weights. Nice slow movements with proper posture will enable you to get further along.
Happy sunny day everyone!
1. Bent over rows
2. Deadlifts
3.Clean & Press
4. Bench press
5. Pull ups
6. Dips
7. Squats
Remember If you are new to exercising, especially focus on form first rather weights. Nice slow movements with proper posture will enable you to get further along.
Happy sunny day everyone!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
warm up routine for runners...
Some of you may not know this... but stretching before a run or exercise is not a good idea. Studies show that static stretching—holding a muscle in an elongated, fixed position for 30 seconds or more—could hurt performance if done before a workout (save it for after your run). But dynamic stretching aka warm ups, which uses controlled leg movements to improve range of motion, loosens up muscles and increases heart rate, body temperature, and blood flow to help you run & workout more efficiently. Dynamic stretching is most effective when it's sport-specific. This prerun routine targets the muscles used for running. Start slowly, focusing on form; as the exercises get easier, pick up speed. Use small movements for the first few reps, and increase the range of motion as you go-- check these out below:
LEG LIFTS
Swing one leg out to the side, then swing it back across your body in front of your other leg. Repeat 10 times on each side. You can hold on to something if you feel like you are unstable and lose balance.
BUTT-KICKS
While standing tall, walk forward with an exaggerated backswing so that your heels come up to your glutes. When this is easy, try it while jogging. Do 10 reps on each side.
PIKE STRETCH
Get in a "pike" position (hips in the air). Put your right foot behind your left ankle. With your legs straight, press the heel of the left foot down. Release. Repeat 10 times on each side.
HACKY-SACK
Lift your left leg up, bending the knee so it points out. Try to tap the inside of your left foot with your right hand without bending forward. Repeat 10 times on each side.
TOY SOLDIER
Keeping your back and knees straight, walk forward, lifting your legs straight out in front and flexing your toes. Advance this by adding a skipping motion. Do 10 reps on each side.
WALKING LUNGES
Step forward using a long stride, keeping the front knee over or just behind your toes. Lower your body by dropping your back knee toward the ground. Maintain an upright posture and keep your abdominal muscles tight & in.
These exercise above are running specific... but remember, warm ups are essential along with a nice cool down/stretch after workout or run. Never stretch a cold muscle.
LEG LIFTS
Swing one leg out to the side, then swing it back across your body in front of your other leg. Repeat 10 times on each side. You can hold on to something if you feel like you are unstable and lose balance.
BUTT-KICKS
While standing tall, walk forward with an exaggerated backswing so that your heels come up to your glutes. When this is easy, try it while jogging. Do 10 reps on each side.
PIKE STRETCH
Get in a "pike" position (hips in the air). Put your right foot behind your left ankle. With your legs straight, press the heel of the left foot down. Release. Repeat 10 times on each side.
HACKY-SACK
Lift your left leg up, bending the knee so it points out. Try to tap the inside of your left foot with your right hand without bending forward. Repeat 10 times on each side.
TOY SOLDIER
Keeping your back and knees straight, walk forward, lifting your legs straight out in front and flexing your toes. Advance this by adding a skipping motion. Do 10 reps on each side.
WALKING LUNGES
Step forward using a long stride, keeping the front knee over or just behind your toes. Lower your body by dropping your back knee toward the ground. Maintain an upright posture and keep your abdominal muscles tight & in.
These exercise above are running specific... but remember, warm ups are essential along with a nice cool down/stretch after workout or run. Never stretch a cold muscle.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Eat more- Eat right -you are unique.
Listening in on what some of my clients have been doing according to their diet, I recently found some clients motivation dropping and training sessions becoming inconsistent. Upon poking some more, I was shocked to find out the frustration that was coming from some weight loss plateaus.
For some of us, its not as simple as this numerical truth-- If you burn more calories than that which you consume then you will lose weight. Adding weight training will speed up the calorie burn and help burn fat faster than just cardio. That clock hanging above the finish line tells you exactly how your race went. Just like the numbers on your scale tell you precisely where you stand in the battle of the bulge. But be careful and don't get obsessed with playing the numbers game. Its not for everyone, Some can simply eat right & workout and lose those 15 lbs they have been working towards. Others plateau, their bodies go into starvation mode and hold on to fat. From the time you begin your voyage on losing weight and rediscovering a healthier you -- there will be ups and downs. The key is to stay strong. Take that time to build your inner self, and see what you are really made of.
Running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories. For every mile you log, you burn about 100 calories. (If you weigh more than 150 pounds, you'll burn a bit more per mile, and if you weigh less, you'll burn slightly less). So what happens when you are on a weight lifting program and cardio schedule while eating consciously and you hit a plateau? You just cant understand why you are not losing anymore weight. You stay patient and then cant help but get discouraged after a few months. You start to give in to infomercials, begin to stray from healthy diet and some even start to cut back on their food intake?!
ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
If you have plateaued for 3 months or so, look once again into your diet and training routine. Burning 3500-4000 per week may mean you are not getting enough food. I know that sounds weird, but as a trainer I have done simple things like adding 200-300 calories to my clients meal plans and they almost instantly drop weight and continue dropping.
Sometimes you need to fool your body into believing you are not starving it. I would try increasing 200 calories each day for a week...try and make the increase in protein and fruits and veggies rather than dry carbs and see if that helps.
If you feel like you are tired of spending so much time in gym then cut back from 90 minutes to an hour and increase calories burned in your everyday activities. Park a mile from work and walk to and from your car (200 calories), instead of running with your dog, go for your run, then take the dog for a 30-minute walk (175), play Frisbee with the kids for 30 minutes instead of watching a sitcom (150), add 15 minutes of floor exercises (crunches, leg lifts, back exercises) to a workout (130), after an easy run, jump rope for 10 minutes (100), and if you use public transportation get off a few stops before your destination and walk more--- its nice out now so no excuses. Get creative, stop those negative limitations.
Remember we have to work hard at tricking your body into letting go of that unnecessary bulge and add loads of variety in how you workout those muscles and what you eat. Begin to save calories rather than starve yourself. Drink diet coke rather than regular coke, if you can switch to water! Don't drink your calories-- eat them. Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwich-- thats 90 calories right there. And are you eating breakfast? cause thats just like kick starting your metabolism not just your day.
Keep in mind its all about the choices we make and what may work for our friends may not work for us.
For some of us, its not as simple as this numerical truth-- If you burn more calories than that which you consume then you will lose weight. Adding weight training will speed up the calorie burn and help burn fat faster than just cardio. That clock hanging above the finish line tells you exactly how your race went. Just like the numbers on your scale tell you precisely where you stand in the battle of the bulge. But be careful and don't get obsessed with playing the numbers game. Its not for everyone, Some can simply eat right & workout and lose those 15 lbs they have been working towards. Others plateau, their bodies go into starvation mode and hold on to fat. From the time you begin your voyage on losing weight and rediscovering a healthier you -- there will be ups and downs. The key is to stay strong. Take that time to build your inner self, and see what you are really made of.
Running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories. For every mile you log, you burn about 100 calories. (If you weigh more than 150 pounds, you'll burn a bit more per mile, and if you weigh less, you'll burn slightly less). So what happens when you are on a weight lifting program and cardio schedule while eating consciously and you hit a plateau? You just cant understand why you are not losing anymore weight. You stay patient and then cant help but get discouraged after a few months. You start to give in to infomercials, begin to stray from healthy diet and some even start to cut back on their food intake?!
ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
If you have plateaued for 3 months or so, look once again into your diet and training routine. Burning 3500-4000 per week may mean you are not getting enough food. I know that sounds weird, but as a trainer I have done simple things like adding 200-300 calories to my clients meal plans and they almost instantly drop weight and continue dropping.
Sometimes you need to fool your body into believing you are not starving it. I would try increasing 200 calories each day for a week...try and make the increase in protein and fruits and veggies rather than dry carbs and see if that helps.
If you feel like you are tired of spending so much time in gym then cut back from 90 minutes to an hour and increase calories burned in your everyday activities. Park a mile from work and walk to and from your car (200 calories), instead of running with your dog, go for your run, then take the dog for a 30-minute walk (175), play Frisbee with the kids for 30 minutes instead of watching a sitcom (150), add 15 minutes of floor exercises (crunches, leg lifts, back exercises) to a workout (130), after an easy run, jump rope for 10 minutes (100), and if you use public transportation get off a few stops before your destination and walk more--- its nice out now so no excuses. Get creative, stop those negative limitations.
Remember we have to work hard at tricking your body into letting go of that unnecessary bulge and add loads of variety in how you workout those muscles and what you eat. Begin to save calories rather than starve yourself. Drink diet coke rather than regular coke, if you can switch to water! Don't drink your calories-- eat them. Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwich-- thats 90 calories right there. And are you eating breakfast? cause thats just like kick starting your metabolism not just your day.
Keep in mind its all about the choices we make and what may work for our friends may not work for us.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The center of power...
The muscles deep within your abs, back, attaching to the pelvis and spine are considered core muscles. Our core consists of so many muscles (about 30) that aid in everyday life activities. The area in our torso where these muscles are, is where our stability comes from and where our movements begin. Whether you are lifting up a box, running, or weight training, these muscles help keep you balanced.
I have outlined below what some of the major muscles do:
Internal / External Obliques: These muscles rotate your torso and work with the transversus abdominis to support (aka stability) to your center during movement.
Rectus Abdominis: This muscle is "six-pack" stuff guys...when contracted, rectus abdominis form the six-pack. (By the way we are all anatomically built to have six-packs, some of us just hide it with a layer of fat--I know some of us also like cakes more too... *cough*) While it helps stabilize your core, its main function is to flex or curl the trunk.
Transversus Abdominis: This deepest of the abdominal muscles wraps laterally around your center, acting like an internal weight belt. This has been thought of as the "money maker" in terms of core stability.
Hip Flexors (Psoas Major/Iliacus): These muscles lift the thigh toward the abdomen and limit excess motion of the hip joint.
Erector Spinae: This collection of three muscles straightens the back and, along with the multifidus, a short muscle, supports the spine.
So, now that we know where they are and what they do, what are the benefits of core strengthening?
Top of my list is the fact that they give you a better ability to function each day. If you knew your "physical" day would get easier wouldn't you want that? Learning about functional strength and exercises that can translate into daily life activities would make for interesting new workouts that challenge you in different ways. There is also the reduction of injuries and improved performance in sports.
There are a lot of things you can do to start working your core, like taking a pilates or yoga class. There is a lot of equipment out there promoting torso strengthening as well. My personal favorite is the stability ball.
Start with this super routine -Three sets of 12 reps.
*note: if you need to start with 1 set of 12 reps till you get stronger thats ok. Theres no shame where we start... we all have our own beginnings.*
Squats With a Stability Ball
Place ball between your back and a wall; squat until your knees are bent 90 degrees. Watch your knees never pass your toes.
Push-Ups With Ball
Rest your knees, shins, or toes on a ball and commence the push up.
Lunges
Do them either regular or rest your back leg on a ball and just bend and straighten front knee. Really neat for balance. You can also place chair in exchange for ball if the stability ball is too challenging.
Plank
Elbows under shoulders, abs tight, rest on toes, hold as long as possible.
Triceps Dips
Rest your palms, fingers forward, on a table or chair, your heels on the ground, and bend your elbows until they're bent 90 degrees. If you find you are not strong enough to complete 1 of these, practice reverse dips guys.
Sit-Ups on the Ball
Pretty straight forward. Feet flat on the floor, neck relaxed, abs should be the primary muscles working.
Back Extensions
Rest your torso on the ball and put toes on floor. Hands behind your neck, lean forward, then straighten your back.
Oblique Twists on Ball
Lift up and twist your right shoulder toward your left knee, then lower; repeat on other side.
Butt Lift
Lie on the ball with the head, neck and shoulders supported, knees bent and body in a table-top position. Lower the hips towards the floor without rolling on the ball. Squeeze the glutes to raise hips until body is in a straight line like a bridge. Make this more challenging and hold weights on the hips for added intensity and make sure you press through the heels and not the toes. "Think bridge pose in yoga".
Ball Twist
Start with a push up position and ball on your feet, turning your ankles so that you are hugging the ball. Hold body in a straight line with abs in, hips straight and hands directly under shoulders. Slowly rotate the ball to the right while trying to keep your shoulders level, then to the left. You can try and twist to create a "number 8".
These exercises will hopefully get you out of a boring routine. Remember that our bodies like variety when it comes to workouts. Remember to stop at any sign of pain or discomfort especially if you have any injuries or illnesses or other conditions. You can do this after cardio and your regular strength routine.
Tough guys out there - don't be shy using these stability balls, they are challenging and yield results.
I have outlined below what some of the major muscles do:
Internal / External Obliques: These muscles rotate your torso and work with the transversus abdominis to support (aka stability) to your center during movement.
Rectus Abdominis: This muscle is "six-pack" stuff guys...when contracted, rectus abdominis form the six-pack. (By the way we are all anatomically built to have six-packs, some of us just hide it with a layer of fat--I know some of us also like cakes more too... *cough*) While it helps stabilize your core, its main function is to flex or curl the trunk.
Transversus Abdominis: This deepest of the abdominal muscles wraps laterally around your center, acting like an internal weight belt. This has been thought of as the "money maker" in terms of core stability.
Hip Flexors (Psoas Major/Iliacus): These muscles lift the thigh toward the abdomen and limit excess motion of the hip joint.
Erector Spinae: This collection of three muscles straightens the back and, along with the multifidus, a short muscle, supports the spine.
So, now that we know where they are and what they do, what are the benefits of core strengthening?
Top of my list is the fact that they give you a better ability to function each day. If you knew your "physical" day would get easier wouldn't you want that? Learning about functional strength and exercises that can translate into daily life activities would make for interesting new workouts that challenge you in different ways. There is also the reduction of injuries and improved performance in sports.
There are a lot of things you can do to start working your core, like taking a pilates or yoga class. There is a lot of equipment out there promoting torso strengthening as well. My personal favorite is the stability ball.
Start with this super routine -Three sets of 12 reps.
*note: if you need to start with 1 set of 12 reps till you get stronger thats ok. Theres no shame where we start... we all have our own beginnings.*
Squats With a Stability Ball
Place ball between your back and a wall; squat until your knees are bent 90 degrees. Watch your knees never pass your toes.
Push-Ups With Ball
Rest your knees, shins, or toes on a ball and commence the push up.
Lunges
Do them either regular or rest your back leg on a ball and just bend and straighten front knee. Really neat for balance. You can also place chair in exchange for ball if the stability ball is too challenging.
Plank
Elbows under shoulders, abs tight, rest on toes, hold as long as possible.
Triceps Dips
Rest your palms, fingers forward, on a table or chair, your heels on the ground, and bend your elbows until they're bent 90 degrees. If you find you are not strong enough to complete 1 of these, practice reverse dips guys.
Sit-Ups on the Ball
Pretty straight forward. Feet flat on the floor, neck relaxed, abs should be the primary muscles working.
Back Extensions
Rest your torso on the ball and put toes on floor. Hands behind your neck, lean forward, then straighten your back.
Oblique Twists on Ball
Lift up and twist your right shoulder toward your left knee, then lower; repeat on other side.
Butt Lift
Lie on the ball with the head, neck and shoulders supported, knees bent and body in a table-top position. Lower the hips towards the floor without rolling on the ball. Squeeze the glutes to raise hips until body is in a straight line like a bridge. Make this more challenging and hold weights on the hips for added intensity and make sure you press through the heels and not the toes. "Think bridge pose in yoga".
Ball Twist
Start with a push up position and ball on your feet, turning your ankles so that you are hugging the ball. Hold body in a straight line with abs in, hips straight and hands directly under shoulders. Slowly rotate the ball to the right while trying to keep your shoulders level, then to the left. You can try and twist to create a "number 8".
These exercises will hopefully get you out of a boring routine. Remember that our bodies like variety when it comes to workouts. Remember to stop at any sign of pain or discomfort especially if you have any injuries or illnesses or other conditions. You can do this after cardio and your regular strength routine.
Tough guys out there - don't be shy using these stability balls, they are challenging and yield results.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Breakfast before a run in the sun
Happy easter everyone!
I wanted to share this tasty breakfast before going on run in this beautiful morning...
Ingredients:
1 Kashi go lean waffle
2 tablespoons of greek yogurt 0%... i like Fage
1 fistful of blueberries
Crushed raw walnuts or almond halves
Pinch of your favorite granola or cereal... i like Kashi go lean crisp toasted berry crumble with dried blueberries and cranberries.
Preparation:
Warm up the waffle and top it with rest of delicious ingredients. Imagine a parfait on top of a waffle.
The waffle will provide carbs to restock energy stores. Greek yogurt contains twice the protein of regular yogurt. Antioxidant-rich blueberries help fight disease and inflammation, and the nuts are high in vitamin E, which may help reduce abdominal cramping and pain before and after running.
Now you are on your way to great run by having super protein breakfast... yum!
Fast, easy, and healthy. Enjoy your sunny day!
I wanted to share this tasty breakfast before going on run in this beautiful morning...
Ingredients:
1 Kashi go lean waffle
2 tablespoons of greek yogurt 0%... i like Fage
1 fistful of blueberries
Crushed raw walnuts or almond halves
Pinch of your favorite granola or cereal... i like Kashi go lean crisp toasted berry crumble with dried blueberries and cranberries.
Preparation:
Warm up the waffle and top it with rest of delicious ingredients. Imagine a parfait on top of a waffle.
The waffle will provide carbs to restock energy stores. Greek yogurt contains twice the protein of regular yogurt. Antioxidant-rich blueberries help fight disease and inflammation, and the nuts are high in vitamin E, which may help reduce abdominal cramping and pain before and after running.
Now you are on your way to great run by having super protein breakfast... yum!
Fast, easy, and healthy. Enjoy your sunny day!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Kinesio tape vs Sports tape
Did you ever wonder what that funny looking tape that was that was worn by many athletes in 2008 olympics in beijing?
The main function of regular sports tape is to provide support and stability to an injured joint or muscle group by immobilizing it. This would be the taping method of choice in cases of severe injury, where any movement of the injured area could result in additional damage. Traditional taping is also indicated in situations where joint instability is so extreme that a tight tape job is necessary to provide additional support.
The elastic properties of kinesiology tape make it unsuitable in situations where extreme support and stabilization are required. On the other hand, this same elasticity allows kinesiology tape to provide outstanding therapeutic benefits in the areas of recovery and rehabilitation. Because it increases both blood flow and lymphatic drainage, a kinesiology tape application can rapidly relieve swelling and inflammation, as well as accelerate the healing process. Other properties allow it to relieve both acute and chronic pain, which all injured athletes welcome. As pain and inflammation recede, normal muscle activation can be restored, returning strength and coordination to injured areas.
Still not sure which one is a definite? heres a breakdown on kinesio tape on how it relieves,stabilizes while providing movement, and endures.
RELIEVES
Provides pain relief for common injuries such as Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, runner’s knee, shin splints, ITBS, hamstring strains, sore calves, neck, back, and shoulder pain and much more.
STABILIZES
Supports sore muscles, joints, and tendons without restricting motion like compression bands or wraps.
ENDURES
Special adhesive lasts up to 5 days.. wow.
Need more info checkout http://www.theratape.com/benefits
Pretty interesting stuff guys--I tried this out on my knee and found it amazing just as many Physical therapists do. Hope you check out results for yourself!
The main function of regular sports tape is to provide support and stability to an injured joint or muscle group by immobilizing it. This would be the taping method of choice in cases of severe injury, where any movement of the injured area could result in additional damage. Traditional taping is also indicated in situations where joint instability is so extreme that a tight tape job is necessary to provide additional support.
The elastic properties of kinesiology tape make it unsuitable in situations where extreme support and stabilization are required. On the other hand, this same elasticity allows kinesiology tape to provide outstanding therapeutic benefits in the areas of recovery and rehabilitation. Because it increases both blood flow and lymphatic drainage, a kinesiology tape application can rapidly relieve swelling and inflammation, as well as accelerate the healing process. Other properties allow it to relieve both acute and chronic pain, which all injured athletes welcome. As pain and inflammation recede, normal muscle activation can be restored, returning strength and coordination to injured areas.
Still not sure which one is a definite? heres a breakdown on kinesio tape on how it relieves,stabilizes while providing movement, and endures.
RELIEVES
Provides pain relief for common injuries such as Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, runner’s knee, shin splints, ITBS, hamstring strains, sore calves, neck, back, and shoulder pain and much more.
STABILIZES
Supports sore muscles, joints, and tendons without restricting motion like compression bands or wraps.
ENDURES
Special adhesive lasts up to 5 days.. wow.
Need more info checkout http://www.theratape.com/benefits
Pretty interesting stuff guys--I tried this out on my knee and found it amazing just as many Physical therapists do. Hope you check out results for yourself!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Hill workouts for everyone
Hill workouts are a must for everyone training. It is particularly useful early in your preparation to gain strength and muscular endurance. Propelling your body weight upward against gravity increases the load on your muscles. It also emphasizes the drive phase of the run stride (the segment of your stride that begins when your foot is directly below your center of gravity and continues through to point at which you toe-off and your foot leaves the ground).
Another benefit of running uphill is the reduction of impact on the lower leg bones (the tibia and fibula) and ankle and knee joints compared to running on level ground. Obviously, the impact is exponentially greater when you’re running down hills, but hill sets that emphasize a hard uphill section with a gentle jog back down can mitigate this factor. That said, your muscles are not only active movers of your body but also function as shock absorbers that protect your bones and joints, so there is significant value to running downhill more aggressively, to enhancing their shock absorbing capacity, as your legs adapt to the stress.
In addition, hill training boosts muscular endurance in the calves, hamstrings and hip flexors, which contributes to strength, endurance and structural stability and prepares you for faster running as you move closer to the race season. This durability also helps you run well off the bike on tired legs-- for those of you training for triathlon!
To reap these benefits, do the following three hill sessions for six to eight weeks during your early-season training.
Classic hill reps
Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks. Run on a 4- to 8-percent incline. The grade must be reasonable and not so steep that you can’t run with rhythm. The effort should be steady, and not too intense. The idea is to build strength without working toward a race effort. Stay below your anaerobic-threshold heart rate (your AT heart rate corresponds to the pace at which you would typically run a 10K).
After a good warm-up, do 10-25 minutes of hill work, as described below.
Your first two to three sessions should involve shorter hills and more rest. Keep your heart rate 10-15 beats below threshold. Example: 5-15 x 1-2 minutes uphill, with 100 percent rest (one minute of rest for every one minute uphill; two minutes of rest for every two minutes uphill).
Over your next two to three sessions, work toward longer hills at a sustained effort. Let your heart rate rise to within five to 10 beats below AT and perform 4-8 x 3-5 minutes uphill with 75 percent rest.
Treadmill hills
Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks, alternating it with the classic hill reps session described above. Treadmill hill sessions are good for athletes living in colder climates and are useful for shorter-rest hill sets, as you can simply step off the treadmill to recover. Put the treadmill grade at 6-8 percent. Think of this workout as an uphill tempo-run effort with periods of rest.
After a good warm-up, perform the following:
Your first two to three sessions should be shorter, controlled efforts on short rest. Let your heart climb from 10-15 beats below AT to five to 10 beats below. For example, perform 10-15 x 1 minute uphill with 50 percent rest (30 seconds of rest for every one minute uphill). Do 10-15 minutes of total work.
For your next two to three sessions, increase both the hill length and the duration of the set while maintaining pace and grade. Let your heart rate rise to five beats below threshold. Do 15-25 minutes of work as 10-15 x 1.5-2 minutes uphill with 50 percent rest.
Another benefit of running uphill is the reduction of impact on the lower leg bones (the tibia and fibula) and ankle and knee joints compared to running on level ground. Obviously, the impact is exponentially greater when you’re running down hills, but hill sets that emphasize a hard uphill section with a gentle jog back down can mitigate this factor. That said, your muscles are not only active movers of your body but also function as shock absorbers that protect your bones and joints, so there is significant value to running downhill more aggressively, to enhancing their shock absorbing capacity, as your legs adapt to the stress.
In addition, hill training boosts muscular endurance in the calves, hamstrings and hip flexors, which contributes to strength, endurance and structural stability and prepares you for faster running as you move closer to the race season. This durability also helps you run well off the bike on tired legs-- for those of you training for triathlon!
To reap these benefits, do the following three hill sessions for six to eight weeks during your early-season training.
Classic hill reps
Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks. Run on a 4- to 8-percent incline. The grade must be reasonable and not so steep that you can’t run with rhythm. The effort should be steady, and not too intense. The idea is to build strength without working toward a race effort. Stay below your anaerobic-threshold heart rate (your AT heart rate corresponds to the pace at which you would typically run a 10K).
After a good warm-up, do 10-25 minutes of hill work, as described below.
Your first two to three sessions should involve shorter hills and more rest. Keep your heart rate 10-15 beats below threshold. Example: 5-15 x 1-2 minutes uphill, with 100 percent rest (one minute of rest for every one minute uphill; two minutes of rest for every two minutes uphill).
Over your next two to three sessions, work toward longer hills at a sustained effort. Let your heart rate rise to within five to 10 beats below AT and perform 4-8 x 3-5 minutes uphill with 75 percent rest.
Treadmill hills
Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks, alternating it with the classic hill reps session described above. Treadmill hill sessions are good for athletes living in colder climates and are useful for shorter-rest hill sets, as you can simply step off the treadmill to recover. Put the treadmill grade at 6-8 percent. Think of this workout as an uphill tempo-run effort with periods of rest.
After a good warm-up, perform the following:
Your first two to three sessions should be shorter, controlled efforts on short rest. Let your heart climb from 10-15 beats below AT to five to 10 beats below. For example, perform 10-15 x 1 minute uphill with 50 percent rest (30 seconds of rest for every one minute uphill). Do 10-15 minutes of total work.
For your next two to three sessions, increase both the hill length and the duration of the set while maintaining pace and grade. Let your heart rate rise to five beats below threshold. Do 15-25 minutes of work as 10-15 x 1.5-2 minutes uphill with 50 percent rest.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Runners watch those hips...
What a great day!
Not only was the NYC half marathon today but it's just so sunny and lovely!
This afternoon I met up with two friends of mine, both doctors, and we had a great time talking about preventive measures for runners against injuries. As most of us are well aware, muscle imbalances are the primary culprits in causing injuries. Runners who are seeking answers as to where their ankle, knee, or foot pain is really coming from might need to look higher. Weak hips are often the culprits behind patellofemoral syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, and iliotibial-band syndrome. Top job for runners hips is stabilization, so when the hips are not strong enough to support the movement of the feet, ankles, and knees--problems arise.
Not sure if you have weak hips? Try this test out and check out your hips
- Do a one-legged squat and if your knees collapse inward, your hips are probably weak.
- Stand with your right foot on a step, the left dangling in the air, your hands on your hips. Slowly raise your left hip up, and then release back down. Now If you can't do two sets of 10 reps without holding onto a wall for balance, your hips are weak.
-Sit on the edge of a bench and lie back. Pull your right leg in to your chest; let your left leg hang down. If your left thigh liftsoff the table, your hips are tight.
Here are some exercises we can do:
SEATED HIP EXTERNAL ROTATOR
1. Attach a resistance band to the left end of a bench and loop the other end around your right foot.
2. Keeping your knees together, lift your right leg out to a count of two, then release back down to a count of two.
3. Repeat on the other leg.
STANDING HIP FLEXOR
1. Put your right foot in the resistance band and turn so you are facing away from the band's anchor.
2. Keeping your right leg straight, lift it forward to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two.
3. Repeat on the other leg.
STANDING HIP ABDUCTOR
1. Anchor a resistance band to a stable object.
2. Loop the other end around your right foot so the band crosses in front of you.
3. Standing with your left leg slightly behind you, keep your right leg straight and lift it out to the side. Lift it to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two.
4. Repeat on the other leg.
To think, we stress out and obsess about over-pronation and wearing the right footwear, gizmos to wear and what to eat before a race. And of course, all of this plays a role but... I have to say the older I get, the more I am into memories of floor exercises and watching Olivia Newton John "Lets get physical."
Happy running.
Not only was the NYC half marathon today but it's just so sunny and lovely!
This afternoon I met up with two friends of mine, both doctors, and we had a great time talking about preventive measures for runners against injuries. As most of us are well aware, muscle imbalances are the primary culprits in causing injuries. Runners who are seeking answers as to where their ankle, knee, or foot pain is really coming from might need to look higher. Weak hips are often the culprits behind patellofemoral syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, and iliotibial-band syndrome. Top job for runners hips is stabilization, so when the hips are not strong enough to support the movement of the feet, ankles, and knees--problems arise.
Not sure if you have weak hips? Try this test out and check out your hips
- Do a one-legged squat and if your knees collapse inward, your hips are probably weak.
- Stand with your right foot on a step, the left dangling in the air, your hands on your hips. Slowly raise your left hip up, and then release back down. Now If you can't do two sets of 10 reps without holding onto a wall for balance, your hips are weak.
-Sit on the edge of a bench and lie back. Pull your right leg in to your chest; let your left leg hang down. If your left thigh liftsoff the table, your hips are tight.
Here are some exercises we can do:
SEATED HIP EXTERNAL ROTATOR
1. Attach a resistance band to the left end of a bench and loop the other end around your right foot.
2. Keeping your knees together, lift your right leg out to a count of two, then release back down to a count of two.
3. Repeat on the other leg.
STANDING HIP FLEXOR
1. Put your right foot in the resistance band and turn so you are facing away from the band's anchor.
2. Keeping your right leg straight, lift it forward to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two.
3. Repeat on the other leg.
STANDING HIP ABDUCTOR
1. Anchor a resistance band to a stable object.
2. Loop the other end around your right foot so the band crosses in front of you.
3. Standing with your left leg slightly behind you, keep your right leg straight and lift it out to the side. Lift it to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two.
4. Repeat on the other leg.
To think, we stress out and obsess about over-pronation and wearing the right footwear, gizmos to wear and what to eat before a race. And of course, all of this plays a role but... I have to say the older I get, the more I am into memories of floor exercises and watching Olivia Newton John "Lets get physical."
Happy running.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A conversation about cardio
Recently I had a conversation with a friend while running. She was complaining to me about how sore her arms were after going to the gym for the first time in a long time. She said all treadmills were full so she decided to do some pull ups and push ups as a warm up, which then led to her doing a few reps of bicep curls.
I am amazed at how many fellow runners share that same disdain for strength training. Especially women. When I asked her what she did for preventing muscle imbalances, she frowned shaking her head she said she only cared about cardio workouts and running due to her desire to lose weight.
You can lose fat fast and forever without waking up at 5am to run, without exercising 6x/week, without feeling hungry all the time or cutting your favorite foods forever, and without expensive supplements.
You only need 3 things to lose fat: strength training, healthy nutrition & cardio.
Did you know some cardio machines over estimate the number of calories burned by up to 31% ? (Reported in Mens Health, Feb 2009) One research study found that when men and women did 6 hours of cardio every week for one year, they only lost 6 pounds total. (Reference:Obesity 15:1496-1512, 2007. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Menand Women. Anne McTiernan*) When some people start a cardio program, they end up eating more, and may even gain weight because of this. (Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008)
Strength training increases cardiovascular fitness, strengthens joints & bones, builds muscle, improves flexibility… and it also helps fat loss. More strength equals more muscle. Strength training builds muscle and prevents muscle loss so you don’t get skinny & fat in other places. Strength training prevents your metabolic rate from going down when you may not eat right because of an unforeseen event. This means more fat loss. Exercising positively influences your eating habits. You’ll stick to your healthy eating better if you do strength training, losing more fat.
You’ll get the best results doing a free weight routine of compound exercises. Free weights incorporate the stabilizing muscles that enable you to perform the movements you choose to make, and may be more effective in producing overall muscular strength. Free weight exercises tend to more closely match the movement patterns you're likely to need for specific sports.
Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time. Whole foods come as close as possible to their natural state: without added sugars, fats, sauces. Buy raw foods and cook them yourself. Protein is necessary to build, repair, and maintain muscle. Protein also satiates your hunger and has the highest thermic effect. Eat a whole protein source but make it lean. Veggies & fruits are usually low in calories, high in fiber, contain water and have tons of vitamins & minerals.
Fat doesn’t make you fat, bad nutrition & lack of exercise do. Healthy fats help fat loss. They satiate and slow down digestion. Drinking water is essential. Thirst can make you think you’re hungry. Avoid soda, alcohol and watch the sugar content in your fruit juice. Drink 2 cups water with each meal and sip water during your workout.
Eat Less Starchy Carbs. Eat Whole Carbs Only. Whole carbs promote fat loss and take longer to digest. Avoid white carbs. Brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, oats, quinoa, spelt, and barley are examples of healthy whole carbs.
Frequent meals prevent hunger by keeping your blood sugar stable. Frequent smaller meals also decrease your stomach size over time, which means you’ll feel full sooner.
The downside to excessive cardio workouts is that it burns muscle along with the fat, and if you are not careful a lot more muscle than fat. Never do cardio only. Add cardio to speed up the fat loss you get from strength training & healthy nutrition.
Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate. Breathing heavier than at rest, not gasping. Your goal is fat loss, not exhaustion. If you can't keep a conversation, you are going too fast.
Bicycles/stationary bikes & rowing machines are great examples for cross trainers.
I love to run, it's a necessity for my existence. Unfortunately, it's not the sole solution to all our fitness needs.
I am amazed at how many fellow runners share that same disdain for strength training. Especially women. When I asked her what she did for preventing muscle imbalances, she frowned shaking her head she said she only cared about cardio workouts and running due to her desire to lose weight.
You can lose fat fast and forever without waking up at 5am to run, without exercising 6x/week, without feeling hungry all the time or cutting your favorite foods forever, and without expensive supplements.
You only need 3 things to lose fat: strength training, healthy nutrition & cardio.
Did you know some cardio machines over estimate the number of calories burned by up to 31% ? (Reported in Mens Health, Feb 2009) One research study found that when men and women did 6 hours of cardio every week for one year, they only lost 6 pounds total. (Reference:Obesity 15:1496-1512, 2007. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Menand Women. Anne McTiernan*) When some people start a cardio program, they end up eating more, and may even gain weight because of this. (Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008)
Strength training increases cardiovascular fitness, strengthens joints & bones, builds muscle, improves flexibility… and it also helps fat loss. More strength equals more muscle. Strength training builds muscle and prevents muscle loss so you don’t get skinny & fat in other places. Strength training prevents your metabolic rate from going down when you may not eat right because of an unforeseen event. This means more fat loss. Exercising positively influences your eating habits. You’ll stick to your healthy eating better if you do strength training, losing more fat.
You’ll get the best results doing a free weight routine of compound exercises. Free weights incorporate the stabilizing muscles that enable you to perform the movements you choose to make, and may be more effective in producing overall muscular strength. Free weight exercises tend to more closely match the movement patterns you're likely to need for specific sports.
Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time. Whole foods come as close as possible to their natural state: without added sugars, fats, sauces. Buy raw foods and cook them yourself. Protein is necessary to build, repair, and maintain muscle. Protein also satiates your hunger and has the highest thermic effect. Eat a whole protein source but make it lean. Veggies & fruits are usually low in calories, high in fiber, contain water and have tons of vitamins & minerals.
Fat doesn’t make you fat, bad nutrition & lack of exercise do. Healthy fats help fat loss. They satiate and slow down digestion. Drinking water is essential. Thirst can make you think you’re hungry. Avoid soda, alcohol and watch the sugar content in your fruit juice. Drink 2 cups water with each meal and sip water during your workout.
Eat Less Starchy Carbs. Eat Whole Carbs Only. Whole carbs promote fat loss and take longer to digest. Avoid white carbs. Brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, oats, quinoa, spelt, and barley are examples of healthy whole carbs.
Frequent meals prevent hunger by keeping your blood sugar stable. Frequent smaller meals also decrease your stomach size over time, which means you’ll feel full sooner.
The downside to excessive cardio workouts is that it burns muscle along with the fat, and if you are not careful a lot more muscle than fat. Never do cardio only. Add cardio to speed up the fat loss you get from strength training & healthy nutrition.
Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate. Breathing heavier than at rest, not gasping. Your goal is fat loss, not exhaustion. If you can't keep a conversation, you are going too fast.
Bicycles/stationary bikes & rowing machines are great examples for cross trainers.
I love to run, it's a necessity for my existence. Unfortunately, it's not the sole solution to all our fitness needs.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring is near and I heart barley...
What a beautiful day today and I tried new recipe that was delicious!
Barley contains eight essential amino acids. According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption compared to white or even whole grain wheat, which has a similar glycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates.
And here are some fun facts: Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute! (Coffee substitutes are non-coffee products, usually without caffeine, that are used to imitate coffee.) Believe it or not in World War II, acorns were used to make coffee.
As barley is one of my favorite grains, I wanted to share this delicious & healthy vegetarian recipe. It's a warm grain salad comprised of Thyme scented barley, red cabbage & ricotta salata.
Ingredients for thyme scented barley:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups pearled barley (10 ounces)
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 thyme sprigs
3 cups water
1 pinch of salt
Directions for Barley:
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the pearled barley and cook over medium heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; just before browning. Add the onion and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff the grains and throw out the thyme sprigs.
ingredients for salad:
1/2 cup walnuts (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 pound red cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1/2 cup water
2 cups Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley---(see above for recipe)
2 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
directions:
Toast walnuts until golden and let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.
In a large skillet, add the oil. Add the onion and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is barely wilted, approximately 6 minutes. Add the thyme and the water, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and the water has evaporated, 20 minutes. Stir in the Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley, ricotta salata and toasted walnuts. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
Keep in mind we need fuel to burn when we exercise!
Barley contains eight essential amino acids. According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption compared to white or even whole grain wheat, which has a similar glycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates.
And here are some fun facts: Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute! (Coffee substitutes are non-coffee products, usually without caffeine, that are used to imitate coffee.) Believe it or not in World War II, acorns were used to make coffee.
As barley is one of my favorite grains, I wanted to share this delicious & healthy vegetarian recipe. It's a warm grain salad comprised of Thyme scented barley, red cabbage & ricotta salata.
Ingredients for thyme scented barley:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups pearled barley (10 ounces)
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 thyme sprigs
3 cups water
1 pinch of salt
Directions for Barley:
In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the pearled barley and cook over medium heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; just before browning. Add the onion and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff the grains and throw out the thyme sprigs.
ingredients for salad:
1/2 cup walnuts (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 pound red cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1/2 cup water
2 cups Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley---(see above for recipe)
2 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
directions:
Toast walnuts until golden and let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.
In a large skillet, add the oil. Add the onion and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is barely wilted, approximately 6 minutes. Add the thyme and the water, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and the water has evaporated, 20 minutes. Stir in the Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley, ricotta salata and toasted walnuts. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
Keep in mind we need fuel to burn when we exercise!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
And so it begins...
Due to popular demand I am starting this blog! Hopefully you dear readers will feel inspired and motivated by what you read here... you'll find your courage and let that inner spark shine.
There is a certain sense of accountability that comes with getting older. Our bodies do a good job of communicating this to us sooner or later. At first, it may start with your favorite pair of jeans feeling too tight to fit your cellphone. You laugh out loud and say, "Oh wow. I must have left these in the dryer for too long...oops." You run out the door to meet that special person at a really neat restaurant where the food is delicious but a bit on the heavy side and you are out a lot later than you had anticipated. How does this happen without you even noticing it? Because let's face it: life happens, and you forgot to eat earlier and you wanna see that special person and eat that amazing freshly made pasta with cheesy goodness while unwinding with some cocktails AND THEN comes dessert (of course)... I mean, how can you pass up tiramisu?! It's almost as good as your mom used to make it!.... "Better get one each," you say. The next day you wake up still full from last night, you skip breakfast and the gym because unfortunately you had a little TOO much fun. And so the cycle continues. While sitting in your cubicle at work in a fast paced environment where you think you can continue this lifestyle without it ever catching up with you --- you eat donuts like that's your real job. A few months later you are left with a serious "donut" around your waist line. But apart from the stigma of having a pot belly, science is showing belly fat has other nasty things up its sleeve. It means that visceral fat is packed around your internal organs, potentially contributing to a whole host of problems, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems and more. Meanwhile all you were doing was leading a "normal" life, so you thought. Belly fat - as it turns out - is actually there for a reason….to keep your insulin and cortisol levels under control.
Simply put, having a bulging belly is caused by the harmful combination of everyday stress, over-eating, and excess cortisol all ganging up on you- keeping you overweight, tired, and thick around the middle. And yes, I hear all those out there talking about genetics... Don’t hold to the myth that “carrying belly fat is genetic or a normal part of aging. There is a reason for it happening. Sure, you could start buying bigger clothes or making excuses and blaming dryers but it's just our bodies' way of saying, ”Something's going wrong here and we need to talk.” …..But are you ready to listen!?
The solution is to find a way to lead your life and still let it be YOUR LIFE but with some changes here and there. Our bodies are constantly talking to us... but we don't always listen.
I chose to write about this topic because weight loss, belly fat and eating habits all seem to be a huge extrinsic motivator for so many people in my life. Some of my clients and friends will begin their "healthy journeys" by having a goal of losing 20 lbs. However, they fail to see that their real desires are actually so much more significant. They need/want to embark on a journey in self discovery, and rekindle a time when they were happier and had the energy and stamina to play with their kids AND still have their husbands flirt with them as they slipped on that size 6 dress. That's the real goal.
For me, I aspire to help others find their intrinsic goals, so that I can help them make lifestyle changes happen in order to get results that will stick.
So, what's the prescription for that "belly donut" you ask? Along with an exercise program consisting of cardio, resistance, and flexibility training- you have to reduce Cortisol Levels. One good way to control the levels of cortisol and insulin in your body is to reduce stress. You can try meditation, yoga or other types of exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is great because it will help control those hormones, increase your metabolism, while at the same time reduce your stress. But please don't be mistaken! The sole act of doing cardio will not help you lose all the weight and get in shape. Women especially (I am talking to you) let go of that fear of lifting weights at the gym, please? Just keep in mind muscle burns fat and if you do resistance training under supervision you can win battles over stubborn fat or get over some fitness plateaus.
Also, give your liver a break. It's a very important organ in the body, not only because it functions to get rid of toxins from the blood, BUT ALSO because it metabolizes fat. Let it do its job properly. Things that stress out your liver are, processed foods, all forms of sugar (even the ones in alcohols), artificial sweeteners, excessive caffeine, trans fats and soda.
Watch your glycemic levels; the more insulin your body has to produce to combat sugar the more fat the body has to produce to combat it. Choose foods with a low glycemic index score as these are processed slowly in the body and don’t cause a massive spike in blood sugar. Following a glycemic index diet is a good way to reduce belly fat. Chromium, cinnamon, zinc, garlic and omega fatty acids can also be used to help regulate blood sugar.
As for my first blog entry, I hope I have stressed the importance of balance in your fitness program and that you can come way with some of my honest advice.
Moderation to achieve balance, commitment to be consistent, and motivation to be inspired are essentials to a new journey into a new you. Only a few months left before swimsuit season.
Safe voyage friends.
There is a certain sense of accountability that comes with getting older. Our bodies do a good job of communicating this to us sooner or later. At first, it may start with your favorite pair of jeans feeling too tight to fit your cellphone. You laugh out loud and say, "Oh wow. I must have left these in the dryer for too long...oops." You run out the door to meet that special person at a really neat restaurant where the food is delicious but a bit on the heavy side and you are out a lot later than you had anticipated. How does this happen without you even noticing it? Because let's face it: life happens, and you forgot to eat earlier and you wanna see that special person and eat that amazing freshly made pasta with cheesy goodness while unwinding with some cocktails AND THEN comes dessert (of course)... I mean, how can you pass up tiramisu?! It's almost as good as your mom used to make it!.... "Better get one each," you say. The next day you wake up still full from last night, you skip breakfast and the gym because unfortunately you had a little TOO much fun. And so the cycle continues. While sitting in your cubicle at work in a fast paced environment where you think you can continue this lifestyle without it ever catching up with you --- you eat donuts like that's your real job. A few months later you are left with a serious "donut" around your waist line. But apart from the stigma of having a pot belly, science is showing belly fat has other nasty things up its sleeve. It means that visceral fat is packed around your internal organs, potentially contributing to a whole host of problems, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems and more. Meanwhile all you were doing was leading a "normal" life, so you thought. Belly fat - as it turns out - is actually there for a reason….to keep your insulin and cortisol levels under control.
Simply put, having a bulging belly is caused by the harmful combination of everyday stress, over-eating, and excess cortisol all ganging up on you- keeping you overweight, tired, and thick around the middle. And yes, I hear all those out there talking about genetics... Don’t hold to the myth that “carrying belly fat is genetic or a normal part of aging. There is a reason for it happening. Sure, you could start buying bigger clothes or making excuses and blaming dryers but it's just our bodies' way of saying, ”Something's going wrong here and we need to talk.” …..But are you ready to listen!?
The solution is to find a way to lead your life and still let it be YOUR LIFE but with some changes here and there. Our bodies are constantly talking to us... but we don't always listen.
I chose to write about this topic because weight loss, belly fat and eating habits all seem to be a huge extrinsic motivator for so many people in my life. Some of my clients and friends will begin their "healthy journeys" by having a goal of losing 20 lbs. However, they fail to see that their real desires are actually so much more significant. They need/want to embark on a journey in self discovery, and rekindle a time when they were happier and had the energy and stamina to play with their kids AND still have their husbands flirt with them as they slipped on that size 6 dress. That's the real goal.
For me, I aspire to help others find their intrinsic goals, so that I can help them make lifestyle changes happen in order to get results that will stick.
So, what's the prescription for that "belly donut" you ask? Along with an exercise program consisting of cardio, resistance, and flexibility training- you have to reduce Cortisol Levels. One good way to control the levels of cortisol and insulin in your body is to reduce stress. You can try meditation, yoga or other types of exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is great because it will help control those hormones, increase your metabolism, while at the same time reduce your stress. But please don't be mistaken! The sole act of doing cardio will not help you lose all the weight and get in shape. Women especially (I am talking to you) let go of that fear of lifting weights at the gym, please? Just keep in mind muscle burns fat and if you do resistance training under supervision you can win battles over stubborn fat or get over some fitness plateaus.
Also, give your liver a break. It's a very important organ in the body, not only because it functions to get rid of toxins from the blood, BUT ALSO because it metabolizes fat. Let it do its job properly. Things that stress out your liver are, processed foods, all forms of sugar (even the ones in alcohols), artificial sweeteners, excessive caffeine, trans fats and soda.
Watch your glycemic levels; the more insulin your body has to produce to combat sugar the more fat the body has to produce to combat it. Choose foods with a low glycemic index score as these are processed slowly in the body and don’t cause a massive spike in blood sugar. Following a glycemic index diet is a good way to reduce belly fat. Chromium, cinnamon, zinc, garlic and omega fatty acids can also be used to help regulate blood sugar.
As for my first blog entry, I hope I have stressed the importance of balance in your fitness program and that you can come way with some of my honest advice.
Moderation to achieve balance, commitment to be consistent, and motivation to be inspired are essentials to a new journey into a new you. Only a few months left before swimsuit season.
Safe voyage friends.
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