Water and Weight Loss

Check out these articles and keep drinking the water!!

Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss


Water May Be a Secret Weapon in Weight Loss

Asparagus: The Good, the Bad and the Yummy!!

Asparagus does more than make our urine smell! The smell comes from organic compounds breakdown, which we all produce. Some however, do not have the autosomal genes required to smell them.

• Asparagus is high in glutathione (an essential amino acid), an important anticarcinogen with proven cancer fighting abilities.
• It also contains rutin, which protects small blood vessels from rupturing and may protect against radiation
• Asparagus is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, B-complex vitamins, potassium and zinc
• Per 1 cup: 30 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 4g protein
• My favorite way to enjoy asparagus is very simple:
• Wash and stem asparagus (I always do at least 2 bunches because this gets eaten very quickly by my family and we love eating it cold the next day). Drizzle with very little olive oil, generous amounts of chopped garlic, salt and pepper; then spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Heat in a 450 degree oven for 20 -25 minutes. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of your favorite cheese on top (feta, goat, parm, ect.) Enjoy!

Why Pilates & Yoga are as important as "Sweating it Off"

When weight loss is the main goal in an fitness program, we tend to push aside one of the most important things to keep our bodies able to come back for more, mind/body exercise. So often we go on "auto pilot" in order to lose the weight. If your main priority is to burn burn burn those calories, which is all good, but you leave out flexibility & balance as well as "core strength and balance", you will very likely not reach the fitness level you were trying to achieve. You may get injured and that almost always results in the opposite of what we are trying to achieve, and that is weight gain!

Both Yoga and Pilates focus on strength, flexibility and balance of your body and the muscles of your core and throughout your body. When you are balanced, flexible and strong, you can achieve a much greater fitness level with a good mixture of all types of

exercise. You will be able to burn more calories, build more muscle and have more endurance in your cardio exercise.

Get yourself to a Pilates or Yoga class now, schedule it into every week. A DVD is OK but lacks the correction of form that you will get from a live class and the result can be injury so it is best to at least start with a class and attend one as often as possible. I understand a busy schedule and our class schedule doesn't always work with your life so substituting a DVD when necessary is better than nothing. It's best to start with a lower level so you are less apt to injure yourself.

Check the schedule at the gym to get a full description and explanation of each individual class. Have fun experiencing your ability to achieve a whole new fitness level.

Sleep is Necessary for Healthy Weight Loss

This link is to some information about sleep and the role it plays in weight loss!!

SLEEP! IT'S NON-NEGOTIABLE!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/119644-importance-sleep-weight-loss/

Watching the Fat

During our meeting last week, we talked about types of fat: the good and the bad.

Here are a couple links to more information:

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatbasics/a/goodfatsbadfats.htm

http://straighthealth.com/pages/five/goodfats.html

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

Check them out and make the best decisions you can !!

Tips for Eating Out

Food choices away from home are important to your health and weight because many of us are eating more meals away from home. Fortunately, making healthful and delicious choices in restaurants is also easier today. Restaurants of all types are responding to customers’ desires with more options in portion sizes, preparation methods and menu items:
• More appetizer-size portions of popular entrées
• More baked and broiled choices in meat, fish and poultry
• More fruit and vegetables side orders to substitute for fries.

Hit the Bricks
Make physical activity part of dining out. All you need is a comfortable pair of shoes:
• Walk from Home or the Office. Pick a restaurant that’s a 10- or 15-minute walk away. You'll get your meal and 30 minutes of physical activity and avoid the parking hassles.
• Walk with Family or Friends. Get moving as a group before or after eating. A brisk walk before a meal gives you time to chat. A stroll afterward helps your digestion.
• Walk Up Instead of Driving Thru. Park your car in the lot and walk inside to get your fast food order. And make fast food an occasional treat rather than a daily habit.

Right-Size Your Serving Sizes
Becoming sensible about serving sizes is an important way to maintain a healthy weight and it’s good for your wallet too.
• Instead of a large entrée, order an appetizer and a leafy green salad or choose two appetizers for a meal.
• Start with a small serving like a cup of soup, a junior burger or a small order of fries. If you are still hungry, order something else.
• Indulge your inner child: Order a kid’s meal at a fast-food restaurant. Many now offer a choice of low-fat milk and fruits or vegetables instead of fries.
• Savor your steak twice as much. Eat half at the restaurant, then take the other half home to enjoy sliced onto a green salad or as a sandwich on whole-grain bread.
• Ask for a to-go box as soon as your meal is served. Put half your food into the container for a second meal. That’s two meals for the price of one.
• Share from start to finish. Order one appetizer for the whole table and then order one dessert with multiple forks. Sometimes, just a bite or two is perfect.
• Share an entrée. You can ask your server to split the meal in the kitchen or divide it up yourselves at the table.

How many steps should we take each day?

This week, each of you received a pedometer..... to track your daily steps. Your goal: build up to 10,000 steps a day? Why 10,o00?

....Recent guidelines about walking 10,000 steps per day. How far is 10,000 steps anyway? The average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile, and 10,000 steps is close to 5 miles.

Read More about it here: 10000 Steps

Sodium

Your body needs some sodium to function properly because it:
• Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
• Helps transmit nerve impulses
• Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles
Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your sodium levels are low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When sodium levels are high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine.
But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, which increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can make it hard for your kidneys to keep sodium levels balanced.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.


The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended. To help keep your sodium consumption in check, you need to know where the sodium comes from.

Here are the main sources of sodium in a typical diet:

• Processed and prepared foods. The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. These foods are typically high in salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, and in additives that contain sodium. Processed foods include bread, prepared dinners like pasta, meat and egg dishes, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, soups, and fast foods.
• Natural sources. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products such as milk, meat and shellfish. While they don't have an abundance of sodium, eating these foods does add to your overall sodium intake. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 107 mg of sodium.
• In the kitchen and at the table. Many recipes call for salt, and many people also salt their food at the table. Condiments may also contain sodium. One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce, for example, has about 1,000 mg of sodium.

Virtually all Americans can benefit from reducing the sodium in their diet. Here are more ways you can cut back on sodium:

• Eat more fresh foods. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Also, fresh meat is lower in sodium than are luncheon meat, bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham. Buy fresh and frozen poultry or meat that hasn't been injected with a sodium-containing solution. Look on the label or ask your butcher. Buy plain whole-grain rice and pasta instead of ones that have added seasonings. Make your own soups from scratch.
• Opt for low-sodium products. If you do buy processed foods, choose those that are labeled "low sodium."
• Remove salt from recipes whenever possible. You can leave out the salt in many recipes, including casseroles, stews and other main dishes that you cook. Baked goods are generally an exception since leaving out the salt could affect the quality and taste. Use cookbooks that focus on lowering risks of high blood pressure and heart disease to help guide you to sparing the salt without spoiling taste or quality.
• Limit use of sodium-laden condiments. Soy sauce, salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish all contain sodium.
• Use herbs, spices and other flavorings to enhance foods. Use fresh or dried herbs, spices, zest from citrus fruit, and fruit juices to jazz up your meals. And remember that sea salt has about the same amount of sodium as table salt.
• Use salt substitutes wisely. Some salt substitutes or light salts contain a mixture of table salt and other compounds. To achieve that familiar salty taste, you may use too much of the substitute — and get too much sodium. Also, many salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. Although potassium can lessen some of the problems from excess sodium, too much potassium can be harmful if you have kidney problems or if you're taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

Sodium: Cut back gradually
Your taste for salt is acquired, so you can learn to enjoy less. Decrease your use of salt gradually and your taste buds will adjust. After a few weeks of cutting back on salt, you probably won't miss it, and some foods may even taste too salty. Start by using no more than 1/4 teaspoon of salt daily — at the table and in cooking. Then throw away the salt shaker. As you use less salt, your preference for it diminishes, allowing you to enjoy the taste of the food itself, with heart-healthy benefits.

Weight Traning

In addition to eating a balanced, healthy diet and cardio, strength training is an important part of losing weight and living healthy. Here are a couple articles that explain more about the benefits of, and how to get started with weight training. They also include some exercises to include in your workout.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/a/weight101.htm

http://wellnessletter.com/html/fw/fwFit03StrengthTraining.html