Some Key Points of Exercise

The goals of exercise include building strength and endurance, reducing body fat, enhancing movement of joints and muscles, and improving your sense of well-being. Some key points of exercise include:

• The U.S. Surgeon General recommends a “moderate amount of physical activity most, if not all, days of the week.”
• Most experts agree that you need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day to improve your health and 60 minutes per day to lose weight.
• You know that you’re being physically active when your heart beats faster, your muscles contract and your temperature rises.
• Try to incorporate all three types of exercises into your routine; cardiovascular (also known as aerobics or endurance), weight (strength), and flexibility (stretch) training.
• Learn your target heart zone and exercise within that range.  The target heart zone is between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.
• Physical activity can protect your heart as well as lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
• Make exercise fun! Choose activities that you enjoy.
• Avoid injury by varying your workout, warming up and stretching, cooling down properly and taking a day of occasionally.
• Drink plenty of fluids during, before and after exercise. This is important no matter what the temperature is outside.
• Some exercise is better than none and it’s ok to break up your 30-60 minutes each day into 10 or 20 minute intervals, or exercise 3 days a week if you can’t exercise more often.
• Have realistic expectations and recognize when you’re working too hard.
• No matter what your age, make exercise a part of your regular routine. 
• People lose 20-40% of their muscle mass and strength when as they age. Strength training throughout life can help prevent this loss.
• Starting out slowly and being consistent may be the best way to successfully make exercise a habit.   

Summer Grill Meals

Summer is finally underway which means use of your grill rises along with the temperatures.  Grilling is a fast and healthy way to prepare a meal.  It also allows for a variety of meals with a variety of foods to help you create a balanced meal.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

Grilled Mahi-Mahi and Asparagus  
You can also substitute for other fish like salmon, tuna, or cod:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mahi_mahi_asparagus.html

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Greek-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Grilled Eggplant Salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-eggplant-salad-recipe.html


Grilled Vegetable Platter : 
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/grilled-vegetable-platter

This recipe includes a great tip.  If you don’t have special grilling tools like a grilling griddle, just use a disposable foil pan (easy to find at a Dollar Store) and poke holes in the bottom to allow liquid to drain.
It’s no coincidence that all of these recipes include a vegetable.  This is a great time to sneak in some extra veggies into your meal.  Grilling helps to bring out their natural sweetness. So try some brightly colored veggies with your next grill meals and bump up your health at the same time!

Use your grill for dessert too.  

Here are some additional recipes to help satisfy your sweet tooth:

Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream
(Don’t have cardamom on hand? Replace it with cinnamon!)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-peaches-honey-cream

Pineapple Berry Hobo Pack 
(If you can’t find crystallized ginger, substitute with ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger):
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/pineapple-berry-hobo-pack/
Marinated Grilled Apples with Mint
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-grilled-apples-with-mint

Make Your Diet Work for You

Make Your Diet Work for You

First, understand that your body needs a proper balanced nutrition diet with a sufficient daily amount of; vitamins, proteins minerals and carbohydrates in order to maintaining a healthy diet.

Get into a habit of eating just 3 meals a day. Those meals being breakfast, lunch and dinner as you might have guessed.  But here are some tips you may not have considered.

      1. Eat breakfast within one hour of rising.

Breakfast provides at least 30 percent of the total energy and nutrition needed to sustain the body during the whole day. Therefore it’s important to never skip breakfast and to have a proper one. Oatmeal is a great choice as it’s a good source of fiber and protein.

2. Choose something  healthy and  low-fat

Try a healthy lunch snack such as low-fat yogurt to keep your energy running. If that doesn’t satisfy your appetite, have a grilled chicken salad with low-fat dressing.

3.     Have your dinner 3 hours before bedtime

Never go to bed on a full stomach. An example of a proper dinner would be grilled or baked salmon with steamed veggies and a baked sweet potato or brown rice.

Lastly, drink water with every meal. Drinking 2 liters of water a day helps your body burn calories more effectively and rids your body of toxins. 

Exercises for a Healthy Back

Exercises for a Healthy Back

Learning exercises to make your back stronger and more flexible can help you prevent back pain. If you are recovering from back pain, speak with your doctor and physical therapist about when it is safe for you to begin strength training and stretching. When you’re healthy enough, try the following exercises and stretches at least three times per week.

Partial Sit-ups

1. Lie with your back flat on the floor and bend your knees. Cross your hands over your chest or place them behind your head.
2. Raise your shoulders between 3 and 6 inches off of the floor. On your way up, exhale (while your abdominal muscles are contracted).
3. Inhale on the way down.
4. Do this slowly at least 8-10 times.

You can gradually increase the number of repetitions as you get stronger.

Pelvic Tilt

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees, keeping your feet on the floor.
2. Press your lower back into the floor and squeeze your buttocks muscles.
3. Hold for one second and relax.

You can make this exercise harder by holding for five seconds or longer. Another way to challenge yourself is by planting your feet farther from your body.

Stretch #1

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and legs together, keeping your arms at your sides.
2. Slowly roll your knees to one side.
3. Hold for 10-20 seconds.
4. Repeat to other side.

Stretch #2

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Using both hands, hold one knee and bring it toward your chest.
3. Hold for 10-20 seconds.
4. Repeat with other knee.

Stretch #3

1. Facing the floor, support your body with your hands and knees.
2. Lift and straighten your right arm and stretch your right hand out in front of you while elevating and extending your left leg. Tighten your stomach muscles and keep your back straight.
3. Hold for 3 seconds, change sides and repeat. You can do this up to 20 times on each side.

Managing Your Weight with a Balanced Diet

San Diego Chargers offensive lineman Nick Hardwick retired from the NFL after the 2014 season. What’s the point? Within the first five months post retirement, he lost 85 pounds. How?  He changed his diet, specifically cutting back on his daily calorie intake which he revealed was over 3,000 while with the Chargers. As lineman, consuming a lot food and maintaining his weight was a part of his job.

No matter what your goals are, in order to keep your body healthy you should maintain a balanced diet which consists of the right types and right amounts of foods and drinks. To start, it’s helpful to know how many calories your body needs every day and what your fitness goals are. 



If you’re unsure, a dietitian would be able to help determine you caloric needs based on your age, gender, size and activity level.

In the meantime replace fried foods with baked, steamed and grilled foods while replacing candy and chips will healthier snacks such as carrots and bell peppers with hummus. Also, remember that good sources of lean protein are skinless, white turkey and chicken meat and that green vegetables should always take up half of your dinner plate.

Exercise to Avoid Back Pain?

Exercising too little

We often hear about the endless benefits of exercising. With that, we also know many of the negative consequences of living a sedentary lifestyle. However, did you know that lack of exercise can put us at greater risk for back pain? The idea, to work your back in order to avoid future back pain, may seem counterintuitive, but the lack of exercise leads to:

• Weak stomach and back muscles
• Inflexible back muscles, making it difficult to turn and bend down
• Being above ideal body weight, which puts pressure on the spine, especially increased abdominal size

Can we exercise too much?

Well, we know it’s possible to run until passing out, yes. Is that recommended? No.
But if you are working out regularly and the exercises are done improperly, it can lead
to back pain.  For example, cyclists tend to have back pain that may be avoided by
adjusting the seat to allow good flexibility of the back and hamstring muscles. Remember with any activity, golfing or lifting weights, using poor form can cause serious problems
with your back.

Tips for you:

• Consult with a knowledgeable trainer until you have learned the proper movements and form for the activities you do.
• Vary your workout
• Do low-impact aerobics like swimming, bicycling, and walking.
• Stretch properly before and after your workout.
• Try yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Kung. These are Chinese and Indian forms of exercise that combine low-impact movements with mediation and relaxation.