October 20, 2006 by erin.

It seems that every one is busy these days. No one has the time to take care of their most precious commodity… their body. Taking care of your body should be on the top of your priority list. It has to last you a LONG time.

Being active and healthy doesn’t necessarily mean a rigorous work out schedule. There are things that, perhaps, you could do differently that would sneak some activity into your life without you hardly noticing. Try some of the following tips and get on track to increase your health and fitness level.

• Turn off that TV and take the whole family out for a vigorous walk. Remember - children learn more from what you do than from what you say.
• No time for anything new? Walking, gardening, yard work and dancing are all healthy activities.
• Play at least 10 minutes at a time without stopping or resting. Play at things that are FUN!
• Replace your coffee break with a walk (10 minutes)
• Stretch during meetings
• Have a “walking meeting”
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Meet friends for a walk each day
• Try a new activity every season
• Exit the bus two stops early and walk home
• Walk or cycle to work
• Park the car farther away from the store and walk
• Stretch and run on the spot for three minutes before and after every TV show
• Do crunches during the TV show
• See who can do the most jumping jacks during commercials, and who can increase the number they do over the month.

There are many reasons to live an active life. Daily physical activity is a healthy habit for children because it supports a healthy weight and prevents high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels. Exercise is essential for older people too because it can delay or help prevent chronic illnesses. Daily exercise has numerous benefits for people of all ages.

benefits of Exercise

• cuts the risk of heart disease
• improves blood cholesterol levels
• reduces bone loss
• helps manage stress, anxiety and depression
• provides an opportunity to be with friends or family
• keeps weight under control
• helps to reduce high blood pressure
• boosts energy levels
• improves self-image
• builds muscle strength

Posted in Life, Fitness Tips, Exercise | No Comments »

October 13, 2006 by erin.

During the first few days at a higher altitude where the air is thinner and contains less oxygen the body responds as follows:*breathing rate (ventilation) increases
*blood pH decreases, becoming more acidic
*muscle pH also decreases and becomes more acidic
*use of carbohydrates as an energy source increases
*use of fat as an energy source decreases
These changes lead to a slight increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR), the amount of energy your body expends at rest in a 24 hour period. Research indicates a 6 - 28% increase in overall RMR in women and men at high altitudes. Within a few weeks, the increase in RMR lowers, but does not return completely to baseline, so metabolism is slightly elevated at higher altitudes.
It might seem that you can expend more calories while exercising at high altitudes; but, this is not necessarily true. There’s not a huge difference in the amount of calories burned at a higher altitude during exercise even though it may feel as though you are working much harder. The few extra calories used are a result of increased breathing to get more oxygen into the body, which means more work for the rib cage and other muscles involved in ventilation. So even though ventilation increases to deliver the oxygen necessary to sustain activity, it doesn’t mean a person is expending more energy while exercising.

Posted in Fitness Tips, Exercise, Wellness | No Comments »

October 9, 2006 by erin.

I was watching the food channel one morning while running on the treadmill and the show was about meatloaf. The recipe that was presented was not that bad for you and sounded tasty. I made a couple of substitutions to the recipe and came up with this try it. It’s delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of extra lean ground turkey (1.25lbs)
½ sweet onion, chopped
¼ red bell pepper, chopped
¼ green bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14.5oz can diced no salt added tomatoes
1/3 cup (dry measure) quick cooking brown rice, prepared
½ cup egg substitute
4 tbsp low calorie BBQ sauce
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke
½ cup (part skim milk) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 420. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Spray a 9¼ inch loaf pan with fat free cooking spray. Pour turkey mixture into loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: 285 calories; 19.5g carbs; 9g fat