on Dec 20, 2015 in Fitness, Weight Loss
How does walking compare to working out on an elliptical machine? You burn more calories on an elliptical machine. An average (160 lb. person) someone exercising for an hour on an elliptical machine burns 365 calories compared to 314 calories burned while walking. An elliptical machine puts far less stress on the hips and knees joints. While walking, you generate forces equal to 110% of your body weight with each step, but only 75% of body weight forces are exerted while on the elliptical machine. This slighter jarring is an advantage for people with joint injury or limitations, but less so for those who hope that exercise will improve bone health according to a study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine. Walking is better for those with back injuries. Elliptical training places a greater strain on the lower back than walking because of how the muscles fire, a legitimate concern for people with back problems. Walking is better for balance and preventing falls. Elliptical training results in greater activation of the buttocks; however, walking provides a much better workout for hamstrings, calves, and muscles around the ankles. These muscles are especially important for balance and preventing falls as people age. So what’s right for you? Do what feels good to your joints and is enjoyable so that you can sustain your cardiovascular training for 20 minutes at least three times per...
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on Nov 29, 2015 in Nutrition, Weight Loss
Eating a handful of nuts daily is not only delicious, but is associated with a 20% less chance of suffering from heart disease. Nuts are a good source of protein, and rich in fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats. They also are loaded with phytochemicals, which are pigments that give your immune system a huge boost. The nutrients in nuts are particularly beneficial to heart health because they work together to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage. Research also indicates that people who eat a handful of nuts a day, do better with weight maintenance because the types of fats in nuts stimulate fat burning metabolism. Make nuts a part of your day and enjoy!...
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on Nov 15, 2015 in Fitness, Inspiration, Weight Loss
Now is the time to start improving your exercise routine. Start out slowly with 5-10 minutes of activity at a time and build up to at least 30 minutes of moderately intense activity to get the most benefit. Try to build up to at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate activity a week. Being active at least three days a week is best. When you’re ready to go further, first build up the length of activity, and then the intensity. Avoid injury, wear proper shoes, dress appropriately for the weather and drink plenty of water when doing activity that makes you sweat. Make exercise and movement a regular part of your day by making it a priority. Enlist a friend to keep you going, make it fun. Join a walking/jogging training group or exercise class at your local community center or park. Vary your activities to keep it interesting and reduce risk of injury. Plan on activities you can do in different weather conditions or during the dark winter...
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on Nov 10, 2015 in Fitness, Inspiration, Nutrition, Weight Loss
You can visit on-line with one of our experts on Thursdays, 12:30 to 1:00 pm and have your fitness, nutrition, or weight loss questions answered. Using any technology that gives you access to the internet and has audio/keyboard capability you can connect live with one of our health educators. The meetings are anonymous, no one will hear or see you. Submit your questions using your key board and then listen with the rest of the group, while the educator answers your questions. Virtual Nutrition/Fitness Forums are offered on Thursdays, 12:30 to 1:00 pm. except for holidays. To participate just click the Connect Me Now link below and follow the instructions.You will only be able to connect on Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. The link is not active at other...
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on Sep 23, 2015 in Healthy Skin, Nutrition, Recipes, Weight Loss
Fruit/vegetable smoothies can be a big boost to your health if you use the right ingredients. Below is an overview of the scientific literature that sheds light on this tasty topic and also provides tips on how to make smoothies that maximize the benefits. Drinking fruit/vegetable smoothies helps you increase your fruit and vegetable intake each day. People who drink fruit/vegetable smoothies average 2 to 3 more servings a day than those who don’t drink smoothies. Smoothies provide more vitamins and phyto-nutrients than if you consumed the same foods eaten whole. While not true for every vitamin or mineral, in general blending fruits and vegetables (particularly vegetables) increases significantly the bio-availability of vitamins (especially the B vitamins) and phyto-nutrients (colorful pigments in foods that boost immune function and health). You absorb more nutrients from fruits/vegetables when they are blended in a smoothie. Not only does blending make more nutrients available to you , but it also increases your ability to absorb those precious nutrients. In fact absorption of nutrients in blended fruits and vegetables can be 2-4 times greater than the amount absorbed from eating the foods whole for certain vitamins and nutrients. Fruits/vegetables smoothies help create healthy gut bacteria that greatly enhances your immune system. Research tells us that the vital nutrients from fruits and vegtables, even when blended, are not destroyed by stomach acids and do make it to the large intestine where they play a major role in creating healthy gut bacteria. Which is where 85% of your immune cells are located. By adding parts of fruits/vegetables to a blended smoothie that are not usually eaten (like the seeds and peel of citrus), it makes available to you nutrients that have significant cancer fighting properties. The lignin and other phyto-nutrients found in the peels and seeds of various fruits and vegetables contain powerful cancer fighting properties. Using berries in a smoothie does not raise blood sugar levels and provides great phyto-nutrient availability. Berries are naturally low in sugar, high in taste, and high in phyto-nutrients that have healing abilities. Since berries do not cause blood sugars to rise, those with blood sugar problems can get all the health benefits without jeopardizing blood sugar levels. Over time some fruit/vegetable smoothies can...
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on Sep 8, 2015 in Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss
How much you sit each days is a more important determinant of your health than working out a few times per week. Even if you exercise regularly, you may still endanger your health simply by sitting too much. One of the missing ingredients of a good work out routine is the failure to take stock of how much non-movement you do throughout each day. We exercise because we’re trying to replicate what our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have to exercise because they moved all day long, and research shows THIS is absolutely key for health. In fact, studies show that engaging in consistent exercise does not counteract the adverse cardiovascular and metabolic effects of prolonged sitting. So non-exercise movement is now recognized as being the foundation for optimal health — even more so than exercising for an hour a few times a week. Ideally, you’d do them both, but if you’re currently not in a regular exercise routine, the place to start is by sitting less. This is where the fitness tracker can come in handy. Using a tracker like Fitbit we recommend aiming to get at least 7,000 to 10,000 steps each day, and limit sitting to three hours or less. Remember that while a healthy diet accounts for about 80 percent of the benefits you reap from a healthy lifestyle, exercise is the leverage that allows all of those benefits to be maximized. You simply cannot be healthy without regular physical movement — and this includes both non-exercise movement throughout the day, and a more vigorous exercise regimen....
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