STARTING YOUR DAY OFF FRESH
You know you ought to eat something in the morning. After all, you need food for fuel. And eating right at breakfast can help set the tone for a whole day of healthy eating. Here, some super AM selections that'll help ensure you get at least one of the two nutrient-packed servings of fruit you need each day.
Try this:
Pick pink grapefruit instead of white, and you'll get 93 times more cancer-preventing beta-carotene. Half a medium papaya will give you more than your daily requirement of vitamin C. And you'll get a healthy dose of appetite-controlling fiber from raspberries, blackberries, or fresh or dried figs.
WALKING TIP START YOUR ENGINES SLOW
Five minutes of easy striding can help you log more miles by warming up your muscles before a workout. Wrap up with 5 minutes of easy walking, and you'll finish with a more enjoyable impression of your workout, making you less likely to skip it tomorrow.
SET YOUR SPRING GOALS
People sometimes have a tendency of setting goals that, while very attainable, will not be reached for a long period of time. You want to reach your goal weight by the end of June. You want to be a size 8 by your sister's wedding in 8 weeks. You want to run in the local fundraising 5-K race come July. You're left looking into the murky future, unable to actually picture how the bridesmaid's dress will fit or how it will feel to cross the finish line on the day the race actually arrives.
And, while all these goals are valid, having their joyous culmination so far off can often leave you feeling disappointed, and as if you haven't accomplished anything at all right now.
So, if you are a far-off goal setter (not be confused with a far-out goal setter), try something different this spring. Create some more immediate milestones to accomplish, and when you do, let them motivate you to continue towards the ones that are further off on the horizon.
For example:
Exercise Goal: Walk 3 days THIS week
Weight Loss Goal: lose 1 ½ pounds THIS week
Clothing Goal: Lose one size by the end of THIS month
If you feel like smaller goals won't motivate you, try it for a month, and see what happens. After all, you have nothing to lose but the weight (and about one minute of one day each week).
SPRING HAS SPRUNG – FUEL YOUR BODY
It’s spring! The weather is getting nicer and people start spending more time outside. For the athletes in your family – in organized sports and casual pursuits alike – remember your body’s “spring training” fuel needs.
Include plenty of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. Smart choices include whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and beans. Eat carbohydrates throughout the day, before and after workouts and training sessions.
Include protein from lean sources like meat, fish, poultry, beans and dairy foods and a moderate amount of fat.
Finally, remember to stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water and water-based beverages throughout the day. As your activity level increases, remember to increase fluids too.
SOLVE THIS RIDDLE
Solve this riddle: when I'm hot, call me "hal", when I'm not, call me "bell." What am I? Peppers! From jalapeýo peppers to bell peppers, these great veggies are packed with flavor and color that can turn a dish from mundane to sensational. The nutrition benefits? Peppers are fat free and a great source of vitamin C.
Motivational Quote
“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.”
Be a role model for your Children
If you have children, you are the most important role model in their lives. Be a Move More Mentor: Invite them to join you on a fitness walk or to play an active sport with you in your yard or neighborhood. Even if your children don't end up joining you, your own commitment to being active will make a clear and lasting impression on them.
Healthy Tip – Turn your walk around
Ready to give your walking workout a new twist--and strengthen some additional muscles, too? Try walking backward. It will strengthen your back and abdominal muscles because your balance is different than when you walk forward.
Try this:
Reach back with the ball and toes of one foot without leaning forward. Tuck your belly and put your hands on your hips. This makes your abs and back do all the work. For safety, limit backward walking to a level track or path without any vehicle or bicycle traffic. Walk backward for 2 minutes at a time at first, eventually working up to 5 minutes.
Eating Smart – Easy nutrition boost
Looking for easy ways to boost nutrition? Substitute fruit juice in food preparation that calls for water, for example, in hot cereal, gelatin desserts, even rice!
Frozen Foods – A time Saver
Why not recognize Frozen Food Month in March by stocking up your freezer with an array of vegetables and fruits in every color of the rainbow? Already chopped and peeled, frozen foods not only help busy cooks slash preparation time, these convenient foods pack almost the same nutritional punch as fresh, according to researchers. And because they keep longer, they won't go to waste! Toss a handful of mixed veggies into pasta sauce, add frozen berries or other fruit to low-fat yogurt smoothies, or thawed green peas to your salad. How about topping off your baked potato with some broccoli or rounding out a frozen, low-calorie lunch entrée with an extra helping of veggies? At every turn you'll be adding feel-full fiber and essential vitamins and minerals without racking up the calories. In no time flat, you'll easily reach your five-a-day goal!
Getting more fiber in your day
See how much more fiber you get when you make the following switches! Cornflakes (0 grams fiber in 1 ounce) to bran-based cereal (5 to 15 grams); white bread (1 gram per slice) to whole-wheat bread (2 to 3 grams); white couscous (2 grams in 1 cooked cup) to whole-wheat couscous (7 grams); white flour tortilla (1 to 2 grams in an 8-inch diameter) to whole-wheat tortilla (5 grams); white pasta (2 grams in 1 cooked cup) to whole-wheat pasta (6 grams)—You're becoming a fabulous food fanatic!
Write it down – Lose it
Research confirms that writing down what you eat is one of the best ways to prevent poor food choices and useless calories. Two packets of sugar in your coffee, a spoonful of peanut butter, a handful of M&M's from your coworker's candy dish—it all adds up. I don't want you to deprive yourself of little pleasures or say, "Fattening foods are completely off-limits." But I do want you to be aware of where extra calories are coming from, and keeping track of what you eat is a great way to accomplish this. You'll probably be amazed at how many calories you're consuming—and identifying the real culprit foods is the first step in eliminating them. Once your metabolism gets going, those little nibbles may not matter so much. Logging your workouts can also be helpful. When you look back and see your progress, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. So take a few minutes to write down the details of each workout—how many miles you walked, how many tummy tucks you did, how long you stretched. It all adds up in the end.
All Salts were not created equal
Did you know that all salts are really quite different? Table salt, kosher salt, and sea salt are the main kinds of salt you'll find at the grocery store. Yet, take a look-and taste-and you'll see just how different they are. The main difference is in the size of the salt crystals themselves. A good rule of thumb: the finer the crystals, the saltier the salt (smaller crystals mean more salt per teasthingy). Kosher salt -salt that is used for koshering (the process of drawing blood from butchered meat)-has larger crystals than table salt and thus tastes less salty. Table salt also contains iodine, which imparts a slightly metallic taste. Sea salt, made by evaporating sea water in large, shallow open-air ponds called salt pans, can be small or large grain but contains several minerals other than sodium, adding a certain complexity and color to the salt. If a recipe doesn't specify which sort of salt is needed, use kosher salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount by almost half. Get familiar with the power of different salts so you can better control the seasoning of meat and vegetables without oversalting.
Foods to ward off illness
Fiber (found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains) can alleviate constipation and reduce headaches.
Dairy products can aggravate allergy and sinus problems. Eliminate them from your diet, and see if your symptoms improve.
Omega-3 fatty acids (found in walnuts, flaxseed and cold water, oily fish such as wild Alaskan salmon and sardines) can lessen symptoms of arthritis and may improve memory function.
Caffeine may increase the incidence of body odor - try cutting back on sodas, coffee and other sources of caffeine, then see (and smell) what happens.
Garlic, as well as shiitake and oyster mushrooms, can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Ginger and turmeric often help decrease the severity of symptoms associated with arthritis.
Cross Training Upper Body
Using arm motion when walking is the first step to toning your upper body, but it is highly recommended that you do an upper body workout with lightweight dumbbells and a theraband every other day. These are inexpensive and available at any sporting goods store.
Walking Tips - Getting out of a Slump
To stand up tall, bend your left arm behind your waist and grab your right arm at the elbow. This simple move pulls your shoulders back and down (where they belong). Hold for about 10 seconds and then switch arms. Do two or three times throughout your walk.
Sunday Funnies - Lose Some Weight Laughing
I am so fat......
When I dance I make the band skip.
My cereal bowl comes with a lifeguard.
When I go to the zoo the elephants throw me peanuts.
My graduation picture was a aerial photograph.
My driver's license says picture continued on other side.
When I ran away they had to use all 4 sides of the milk carton.
When I get in an elevator it HAS to go DOWN!
Instead of being born with a silver sthingy I was born with a silver shovel in my mouth.
They have to grease the door frames and put a Twinkie on the other side to get me through.
I could become rich and sell shade.
My belly button doesn't have lint -- it has sweaters.
And you think YOU'RE fat?
