I saw this post from fellow blogger Tony and thought it is very worth while to pass on to you. Too many people have misconceptions about exercise and this explains some of them.
In fitness, Bob
Since bad information is worse than no information, I thought I would pass this along.
Must say I was gratified to learn that running on a treadmill is not helpful. Something about those machines gives me the willies.
Tony
This article raises some very valid thoughts and questions toward the new labeling for ‘Added sugars”.
Justin Fox wrote
The people at candy-maker Mars Inc. have something to tell you: Stop eating so much sugar! According to the Wall Street Journal, the manufacturer of M&Ms, Snickers and Twix has thrown its weight behind a U.S. Food and Drug Administration push to include measures of added sugar on food labels. Non-candy food manufacturers such as Campbell Soup Co. are opposed to the change, but Mars figures that people already know their candy bars are full of sugar. From the WSJ story:
“It might appear to be counterintuitive, but if you dig down a bit more, we know candy itself is not a diet,” said Dave Crean, global head of research and development at Mars. “It shouldn’t be consumed too often, and having transparency of how much it should be consumed is actually quite helpful to consumers.”
In a comment letter submitted to the government Thursday, Mars also…
View original post 725 more words
When I saw this smoothie recipe from Kelly Toups, RD, LDN, I new I had to try it. The refreshing flavor of fresh basil stands on it’s own. Everyone uses mint, and I suppose you could add some to this recipe, but why? Three simple ingredients that are healthy and natural. Give this a try for a refreshing twist.
In fitness, Bob
My basil smoothie post on Instagram last week prompted several inquiries, so today I’m sharing a full recipe post. Since I’m now the proud owner of an organic basil plant (thanks, Ashley!), this smoothie has been on heavy rotation during the beautiful, 80 degree days we’ve been blessed with in Boston lately. The Sweet Basil Smoothie recipe from my Giada at Home cookbook inspired this recipe, but to add creaminess (and cut the added sugars), I omitted the sugary simple syrup in favor of a frozen banana. Sophisticated, yet unfussy, this 3-ingredient masterpiece is the ultimate warm weather refresher!
Basil Smoothie (inspired by Giada de Laurentiis)
Serves 1
Ingredients:
Method: Add all ingredients to blender and blend until combined.
Nutrition per serving: 180 calories, 1g fat (0g saturated fat), 32g carbohydrates (3g fiber…
View original post 28 more words
Want an idea for a quick dinner? Celia has another great microwave meal planned out with this chicken dish! Quick, easy, and healthy!
–4 chicken tenderloins or breast strips
–rosemary (fresh if possible)
–salt and pepper
–olive oil
–chicken broth (non-fat, low sodium)
–corn (frozen, one-half cup)
–spinach (fresh, 2 handfuls)
–avocado (1, medium, fresh)
–Parmesan cheese (shredded)
–garlic powder
1 – Place the chicken in a covered baking dish with a little chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary (minced), and olive oil. Set aside.
2 – Place the corn in a covered baking dish with a little water. Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Microwave the corn for 2 minutes on high.
3 – Place the spinach in a mixing bowl. Add the corn and Parmesan cheese (generous sprinkling). Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir well to coat. Cut open and slice the avocado in one-half inch pieces. Fold gently into the salad.
4 – Microwave the chicken for 5 minutes…
View original post 20 more words
This breakfast smoothie is a good mix of carbohydrate, protein and fat. I also added instant oatmeal to keep me feeling full, (satiety). The healthy fats in this are from the farm fresh eggs that I get. You could easily substitute avocado, nuts, or coconut oil.
My main protein source in this, is natural Banana flavored, grass fed, whey protein from True Nutrition. I am not sponsored by them, nor do I get any kick back, but I like their prices, I can add flavors, they are sweetened or unsweetened, and I can get about any kind of protein source that I want. They have a Java Mocha that I add to my coffee and it is amazing!
Into the Ninja went 1 fresh egg, 12 ounces Almond milk, 1/2 c rolled oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 c black berries, 1/4 c blue berries and 2 ice cubes. I did not add any sweetener due to the fact that the protein powder has Stevia in it and the berries added their own sweetness.
This came out to be 434 calories, with 13 g fat, 37g carbs, and 37g protein. For those of you interested; 245mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium, 113mg potassium, 10g fiber, 10g sugars, 21% Vit A, 25% VitC, 83% Calcium, and 19% Iron.
In fitness, Bob
Here are some really good reminders about eating sensibly, that you may already know.
None of these are shocking new information, but I think they combine well and maybe remind us of something we aren’t doing right now, or as often as is healthy.
I like the 80/20 rule a lot. Eat natural, unprocessed foods 80 percent of the time and your favorite processed treats 20 percent.
Tony
Blueberries were on sale yesterday when I picked up a few things, so I happily grabbed some. My wife wanted oatmeal for breakfast, so instead of her usual brown sugar and sunflower seed that she likes, I asked if she would like blueberry. She of course opted for the switch.
You will need; 3/4 c water, 1/4 c instant steel cut oats, 1/4 c blueberries, and 1 Tbsp chia seed.
I used steel cut oats, since she prefers the texture, and made them per the instructions. 1/4 cup oats and 3/4 cup water. I placed half the berries in the water and gently mashed them with a fork when the water began to boil. I then added the oats and chia seeds, stirred, and reduced to a simmer stirring occasionally until done, about 10 minutes.
When the oats are at your desired consistency, add the remaining blueberries and serve. You could sweeten this with your choice of sweeteners.
This balanced out at 228 calories, 7g fat, 36g carb, 7g of protein. The use of chia also brings the fiber count to 11g.
In fitness, Bob
In less than three weeks, I will be riding along side veterans and supporters to raise awareness for the Ride 2 Recovery program. This offers our veterans an opportunity to work hard through their own healing process instead of taking a handout.
Ride 2 Recovery started in 2008 with a telephone call from a recreational therapist with the VA to John Wordin. This therapist thought cycling would be an alternative therapy to PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) as well as physical injury rehabilitation and thought John was the person to create the program they had in mind.
The first Ride 2 Recovery Challenge event was held with fourteen riders and no additional staff. By 2010, R2R held six Challenges across the US with an average of 170 participants per ride: the Texas Challenge – from San Antonio to Dallas; the Memorial Challenge – from Washington DC to Virginia Beach; the Rocky Mountain Challenge – from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Colorado Springs; The Great Lakes Challenge – from Minneapolis to Milwaukee; the Golden State Challenge – from San Francisco to Los Angeles; and the Florida Challenge – from Tampa to Jacksonville.
In 2011, R2R was up to seven Challenges per year (Texas, Memorial, Florida, Golden State, Great Lakes, and the 9/11 American Challenge which began in the shadows of Ground Zero on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and rode through Shanksville, PA, finishing at the Pentagon). The seventh Challenge of 2011 introduced our first Challenge in Europe, The Normandy Challenge, which traced the steps of D-Day and subsequent battles.
In 2012, R2R took 147 riders through Belgium and Luxembourg to ride the Battle of the Bulge Challenge in addition to Texas, Memorial, and Golden State, added the new Gulf Coast Challenge – New Orleans to Tallahassee; the new Minuteman Challenge – Boston to New York; and the new Bluegrass Challenge – Cincinnati to Nashville. Challenges are limited to 200 participants. Now, each one sells out early and has a lengthy waiting list, attesting to the power of the Ride 2 Recovery program.
I enjoy bicycling, and I enjoy my freedom even more. Last year I had the opportunity to watch the cyclists ride by as I cheered them on. This year I will be riding the full 65 miles through the countryside of Ohio.
If you can, please donate to this cause. No amount is too small. Your contribution is tax deductible and it is never too early to get that head start on next years deductions. I understand we all have groups we support, but if you can contribute any amount, it will be put to good use.
Thank you for reading this and if you choose to contribute, thank you for your generosity. Click this link to contribute to my personal page for the ride.
I want to share with you a story of mental strength over physical fitness. Most of you have heard that you have to overcome your physical barriers with the proper mindset. Whether or not you call this determination, willpower, dedication, perseverance, or just mind over matter is up to you. The result is the same.
This story involves something I never gave a lot of thought to, and an eight year old boy that never spends time in his thoughts of physical willpower because, well, he is eight years old and doesn’t really have too.
My wife had entered her third 5k run and asked if I could pick up her number and shirt for her. I told her no problem, since it would give me a chance to network the fitness exhibits at the Columbus Convention Center, downtown Columbus, Ohio.
The Cap City Marathon was sponsored in part by Ohio Health. They had a booth set up as did many other vendors. I had just finished listening to a speech by author and fitness advocate, Julie Wilkes. When she wrapped up she announced that there would be a planking competition. I wanted to watch that but got caught up chatting.
Just as I got to the Ohio Health booth, they were announcing the winner of the plank challenge. It had barely lasted three and a half minutes, with three contestants. I thought to myself, “I can do better than that”, but I missed out. I turned to the guy next to me and he was wearing a ‘Trainer’ shirt from a local gym. I told him I was surprised he wasn’t in it. He replied, “Yeah I should’ve, I can hold a four and a half minute plank”.
Now it gets a little interesting, I’ll get to the eight year old in a minute. One of the Ohio Health people asked if we would like to do a head to head, and I said I was in. Well, they ended up recruiting nine participants for the challenge. The best time by the way was from the day before at six minutes, fifty seconds.
We all got into position on our forearms and toes and when the time keeper counted us down to zero we were up in a horizontal plank position. (For those of you not familiar with a plank, it is an a show of core, or abdominal strength. You tighten your muscles so that you are straight as a board. Most people would be happy with a three minute hold. No sagging or butt in the air.) And for the record, the world record is four hours, twenty six minutes, set by a Chinese Swat policeman from Beijing.
We were counted off at each fifteen second interval and it wasn’t long before participants started dropping . Every muscle in your body begins to tighten up, you start to shake uncontrollably, and you succumb. Most of the plankers dropped before the six minute mark, and it wasn’t long before it was just myself and a young lady next to me. I cheered her up when I said the trainer on the end had dropped.
As we approached eight minutes, she said she couldn’t keep up, I told to make it to nine. Honestly, I couldn’t believe we were both still in this thing. At nine minutes, she dropped. I had won the challenge and beaten the best time from the day before. I had found a renewed strength.
I could hear the time keeper saying I had won and could stop, but I wasn’t done. This was now a test of my mind telling my body what it would do. I was beginning to tire and could feel my legs trembling. I concentrated on my breathing to make sure my muscles had some oxygen. As the time keeper hit twelve minutes, I dropped. I was finished. This is where the best part is though, read on.
As I was given a tee shirt for my effort, this boy in the audience was telling his mom that one of the plankers was on her knees and should’ve been out. His mom told him to do it better. So this kid challenges his mom. We start cheering them on and they begin.
The time keeper started counting them through and at about a minute and a half, mom drops. At that point I got down on the floor to cheer the boy on. The same boy that had cheered me on. I told him he could do it. I said “You are capable of doing anything you put your mind to.” I told him I knew what his body felt like at that moment, that he wanted to quit but that he wanted to beat the earlier record of almost seven minutes. As he hit six minutes, the count was every ten seconds, at six and a half minutes he looked at me and asked how much more. I told him only twenty seconds, to push through and fight it. He passed the six minute, fifty second mark and stopped at seven minutes.
The pride in that boys eyes meant more to me than any accomplishment I did. He performed a feat of mental strength that he didn’t even have the muscular endurance for. When he finished, his mom wanted a picture of us together. I gladly obliged and asked for one myself.
Don’t ever let yourself succumb to the self talk of being denied an opportunity to at least attempt to overcome whatever your obstacle is. The mind is very powerful, harness it and use it.
In fitness, Bob
Your Gateway to Health 