Fat is not Fate

You watch your brother shovel pizza three times a day and never gains a pound, while you watch your carbs, calories, and sweets and still haven’t lost an ounce. He must have a fast metabolism, you decide, while you seem to be cursed with a slow metabolism. Should you throw in the towel and forget about dieting?

No!  Your  metabolism  may be slow, but it’s not all your genes’ fault. And being fat is not your fate. Everyone -- no matter how old, overweight, or out of shape -- has the power to increase his metabolism.

Here’s how:

 To  increase your metabolism -- and keep it humming -- practice the following habits:

·         Build some brawn. Putting on just 5 to 10 pounds of lean muscle  will rev up your resting metabolism  by roughly 100 calories, each and every day 

·         Burn, baby, burn. Maximize the calories you burn after exercise by integrating high intensity intervals into your workout. Alternate 3 minutes of moderate intensity excersice with 30 seconds of all-out effort. You’ll burn another 100 to 200 calories this way, 

·         Hit the sack. Skimping on sleep can alter your metabolism, lack of sleep can decrease the number of calories your body burns just resting -- performing the basic necessities of life, like pumping blood, breathing and repairing damaged tissues. The rate of calories your body burns at rest represents about 60% to 75% of your total daily calorie burning, which makes slowing it through lack of sleep a serious roadblock to weight loss. 

·         Eat often. Berardi recommends eating every 2 to 3 hours. Each time you eat, you stimulate your metabolism for a short period of time, which means that the more often you eat, the more you’ll increase your metabolism. … But eat right. Frequent eating doesn’t mean snacking, or munching mindlessly, make each mini-meal complete -- with a serving of vegetables and a healthy source of protein like eggs, chicken, or nuts. Upping your intake of high-fiber foods like vegetables is one of the best ways to increase your metabolism

·         The straight-up truth. As for other much-hyped metabolism boosters like green tea, caffeine, and hot peppers, it seems you’re better off focusing your weight loss efforts elsewhere. A compound in green tea called ECGC and Capsaicin found in hot peppers has been shown to elevate metabolism by a small amount, but it’s not enough to make a difference in weight. Studies on caffeine  and its weight effects have had mixed results.

·         Let’s get physical. Never sit when you can stand, or stand still when you can walk. Thanks to desk jobs, family commitments, and a great lineup of must-see TV shows, most of us move less at ages 30, 40, and beyond than we did during our teens and  twenties. Regular periods of movement -- whether it’s a trip to the office water cooler or a stroll around the block after lunch -- nudges a sluggish metabolism into gear, lifting your spirits and shedding excess fat. 

Eat Better and Keep it Simple

People think eating right has to be difficult or that everything healthy has to taste like cardboard. Not true! Need more fruits and veggies? You can start your day with 2 servings of fruit in just an 8 ounce glass of orange juice. You will get a full day supply of Vitamin C, as much potassium as a medium banna and a good source of folate and thiamin. Great deal for 120 calories!! To make  a great deal even better Tropicana has a great program going with their Juicy Rewards. Just go to Tropicana.com and enter in the code on the container and you can save on things to keep the family active like running shoes or trips to the zoo.

Need to reduce saturated fat? Make a simple substitution of soft spread margarines like Promise or I Can’t Believe it’s not butter. You will reduce Saturated fat by about 70%, eliminate hydrogenated oil which means no trans fat, and they are made from healthy oils like soybean and canola oil.

Look for new ways to make old favorites nutrition friendly!! Here is a great Cranberry Cereal Bars,
recipe, they are like a Rice Krispy Treat but healthier! http://www.promisehealthyheart.com/Recipes/9378/1/Cranberry-Cereal-Bars.aspx

Check out http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/healthy-food-choices-00412000067646/ for some more Simple tips to eat Healthier!!



BE Well

Hide and seek with Sugar

Hidden Sugar in our foods means extra pounds each year!! Cutting back on the sweets is only part of the battle; sugar is hiding in much of what we eat and drink every day.

How much sugar do you really consume, ready for a little experiment? Grab a bag of sugar, a measuring spoon, a plate and a can of regular soda. ? Now locate the sugar listing on the soda's nutrition label (approximately 40 grams). Then, dump one teaspoon of sugar onto the plate. Repeat this nine more times. Do you know what you have, besides a mess? The same amount of sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda! Would you ever want  to eat that? Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Do the math. That innocent can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and 160 empty calories.

Even if you don’t drink regular soda, the typical American now eats the equivalent of about 31 teaspoons (124 grams) of added sugar every day. That sugar alone adds up almost 500 extra calories—about 25% of the average person's caloric intake. WOW!

Less is More
So how much should you limit your sugar intake? Several health organizations, including the American Heart Association, suggest that added sugar should be limited to no more than 6-7 percent of your total calories. This does not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose). The chart below lists the maximum recommended daily sugar intake based on various calorie levels. So what does that really mean… heck out the chart below

Daily Calorie Intake	Grams of Sugar	Teaspoons
1,200	21	5
1,500	26	6
1,800	31	7
2,100	36	9
2,400	42	10
2,700	47	12

 

Reading Labels
It can be confusing to try to find out how much added sugar a food contains. The sugar listing on a Nutrition Facts label lumps all sugars together, including naturally-occurring milk and fruit sugars, which can be deceiving. This explains why, according to the label,  one cup of milk has 11 grams of sugar even though it doesn't contain any sugar “added” to it.

To determine how much sugar has been added to a food product, follow these two tips:

• Read the ingredients list. Learn to identify terms that mean added sugars, including the usual suspects sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, honey, invert sugar, maple syrup, raw sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, corn sweeteners, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, malt, molasses, and turbinado sugar, to name a few
• But then it can get a little tricky!!! Look out for words that end in "ose"
• Even More tricky are the "ols" which are sugar alcohols.

So you have sworn off the soda, Beware of Spaghetti Sauce, Salad Dressing, Bread, “Reduced Fat” version of anything, Ketchup, and of course fast food!!

How much sugar have you had today??

Shaun Mullan, CMT

Today, March 1^st is the beginning of National Nutrition Month, sponsored by the ADA. The goals are simple; health care and Wellness professionals will be raising awareness of informed food choices, good eating habits and exercise.

The theme for 2011 is “Eating With Color”. How can you do this? Include a variety of color to your diet, you have tons of options. Choose a fruit, vegetable, protein, grain and dairy! When you prepare dinner tonight include food of different colors on your plate. Mix and match them, and vary from day to day!             Shaun Mullan, CMT

Shoveling without Back Pain

First you need a good quality, lightweight snow shovel that fits your body. Using the incorrect shovel will cause more strain on the body than necessary.

When it comes to protecting your back while shoveling, make sure you keep your back straight. Don’t round your back or fully flex forward. Rounding the back while lifting snow will put too much pressure on the lower back. What you should do is brace your back by slightly contracting your abdominal muscles (core) whenever you lift up the snow. Use the flexibility in your hips (hinge at the hips not the back) to squat down to protect the back. You can practice squatting properly by standing face forward, close to a wall and squatting down. The only way you will be able to squat down is with a straight back and you will have to hinge at the hips.

A big part of not hurting your back while shoveling is to follow a preventative or preparation program program before you go out, to ensure your body is ready!! If you do not feel that you are healthy enough to shovel safely DON'T, paying the neighborhood kids may be a better idea. When it is time to brave the snow take your time, small scoops of snow will put less strain on the body and let the shovel do the work. Remember squat to lift with you knees, NOT your back!!!

Happy Shoveling!!
Shaun Mullan, CMT

Check these few “Shovel Stretches” as well!!
http://www.fitsugar.com/Stretches-Relieve-Lower-Back-Pain-From-Shoveling-Snow-6909001
http://www.fitsugar.com/Stretches-Relieve-Shoulder-Pain-From-Shoveling-Snow-7433671

Migraine Pain?

The agonizing pain associated with the migraines has been reported for centuries and is still poorly understood. Early cultures thought migraines were a curse from the gods, since the late 1600's migraines have been associated with vascular abnormalities and treatments have varied over the course of history to include such things as tying a clay crocodile to the head with linen inscribed with the names of the gods (ancient Egypt, approximately 1200 BC) to dripping coca juice containing cocaine into an incision in the scalp (ancient Incas) to willow bark extract (Native Americans). As studies and modern medicine progressed migraines are typically treated with over the counter or prescription medications. However, improper or prolonged use of medications can actually perpetuate the pain.

More recent studies have shown numbers as high as 93.9 percent of the migraine suffers have similar trigger points with referred pain patterns that reproduced the their migraine pain and other symptoms. The research studies have also discovered that the longer the history of migraines and the more frequent the attacks, the greater the number of trigger points the person had in their muscles.

Massage by a qualified, trained massage therapist can address a multitude of problems that may contribute to migraine pain from stress, tmj and trigger points in the muscle. Massage coupled with an in-depth look into lifestyle habits and environmental causes can allow you to control, decrease the duration or intensity of pain (even eliminate the migraine) and decrease dependance on pain medication.

So if you are suffering from migraines try massage... it can't hurt and think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results or we could always try tying a clay crocodile to your head!!

Good Eats

If you are looking to jazz up your burger and make it a but healthier, this recipe for Gorgonzola Burgers with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce (courtesy of Shape Magazine) will not disappoint. I know from my pics this juicy, decadent burger looks like you should hitting the nearest treadmill but the burger (minus the bun) with a quarter cup of cucumber-yogurt sauce is only 292 calories with a whooping 26 grams of protein. That’s a third of your daily protein requirement! A healthy burger that tastes good is hard to find so go ahead and enjoy with or without the bun. Either way its yummy delicious!



Trish Eller, MS
Fitness Trainer