I’ve brought most of my blogs together under one umbrella. I’d love for you to visit me at my new site. I look forward to seeing you there.
I’ve Moved…my blog
Thanks for stopping by.
I invite you to join me at my new blog http://stephseclecticinterests.wordpress.com
I created Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests as a home for most of my blogging. Check out Tips for Fitness…and any of the others that catch your interest.
You are also invited to http://casualtheology.wordpress.com (Who is God and who are we according to the Scriptures?) and Monday Motivation at http://www.christianeditingservices.com (tips and prompts for writers and those who want to be).
Hope to see you there soon…and often.
Cutting Calories
If you have trouble limiting your portion size (like I do), try the following tips. Though some may cost you a little more, they can save on the calorie intake big time.
1. Buy individual containers of yogurt and limit yourself to one a day. It’s too easy just to keep eating from the large containers.
2. Don’t keep snacks around the house. That way, if you really want something, you have to make an effort to go and get it. Try walking instead of jumping in your car.
3. Cut up vegetables when you have the time, so you don’t have an excuse for not grabbing a healthy snack.
4. Skip the whipped cream or marshmallows in your hot chocolate – or on your latte (sigh!).
5. Remove the skin from your chicken before cooking.
6. If you must do something while watching TV in the evenings, try reading during commercials or chatting with a friend online instead of eating.
7. Check out Now Eat This! by Rocco Dispirito. There are some great ideas in this cookbook for making family favourites with far few calories.
8. Prepare a meal plan. Do as much of the prep ahead of time as possible. That way, when you come home exhausted, you will be less tempted to grab the pre-packaged, processed alternative.
9. Instead of a cookie exchange, try a non-food gift exchange. There are all kinds of fun and unique gift ideas at your local dollar store.
10. And now for an old chestnut…Drink a big glass of water before you eat. It really does fill you up.
Please remember, these are only suggestions. Please check with your doctor or dietician before altering your eating habits. If you suspect you have an eating disorder, I strongly encourage you to seek professional help.
Minerals for Health
Last week I wrote about vitamins. Today’s post is about minerals: why they’re important and where to find them.
Please note: The following is for information purposes only. Individuals have individual needs. It is always wise to consult with a doctor or nutritionist to address your specific nutritional needs.
Calcium – important for bones and teeth, helps blood clot, controls high blood pressure (You can get calcium from dairy products, fish with bones, and calcium-fortified beverages such as orange juice and rice beverages.)
Phosphorus – also important for bones and teeth, enables cells to transmit the genetic code, helps metabolize carbs, and synthesize proteins (found in almost all foods; especially those high in protein, such as meat, poultry, and eggs)
Magnesium – used to make body tissue, part of enzymes that trigger chemical reactions within the body, helps insulin release (Whole grains and dark green fruits and veggies are good sources of magnesium.)
Sodium – helps muscles contract and involved in water balance (very little needed, found in many foods)
Potassium – helps maintain healthy fluid balance, important in nerve transmission, helps reduce blood pressure (Unlike sodium, potassium is not lost when we sweat. It is found in everything we eat.)
The following are trace minerals, important to the body for a variety of reasons. I have listed a few sources of each. Remember, eating a wide variety of healthy foods is the best way to achieve the proper balance of all vitamins and minerals.
Iron – meat, egg yolks, oysters
Zinc – meat, beans, sunflower seeds
Iodine – seafood, plants grown near the sea, iodized salt
Selenium – Brazil nuts, seafood, meat
Copper – organ meats, seafood, poultry
Manganese – whole grains, fruits, vegetables
Fluoride – plants, animal tissue, fluoridated drinking water
Chromium – cheese, whole grains, broccoli
Molybdenum – leeches into drinking water and plants for surround soil
Cobalt – organ meats, beef, pork
This is only a partial list of the benefits and sources of each mineral. Again, I highly recommend Nutrition for Canadians for Dummies and Nutrition for Dummies. These books have a wealth of easy to understand information.
If you missed last week’s post, I invite you to read about the importance of getting a wide variety of vitamins from the foods you eat.
Vitamins
Please note: The following is for information purposes only. Individuals have individual needs. It is always wise to consult with a doctor or nutritionist to address your specific nutritional needs.
You might know VITAMIN A is important for your vision, but you might not know it’s also important for healthy bones and teeth and healthy skin and mucous membranes (such as those in your nose and throat).
You hear a lot about the importance of calcium for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth, but you might not know your body can’t absorb calcium without VITAMIN D.
You need VITAMIN E to maintain healthy muscles and nerves and a healthy reproductive system.
VITAMIN C is more than just “the cold vitamin.” It helps your body develop and maintain connective tissue (muscle, fat, and bone). It also aids your body in many other ways including protecting your immune system. (It really does help when you’re sick.)
The family of B VITAMINS is very important. B1 (THIAMIN) helps ensure a healthy appetite. B2 (RIBOFLAVIN) is important for digestion. You need B3 (NIACIN) for proper growth. B5 (PANTOTHENIC ACID) enables your body to use carbohydrates. (Contrary to popular opinion, carbs are not bad for you. Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains provide you with carbohydrates. Their bad rap comes from things like cookies, cakes, and white flour.) B6 (PYRIDOXINE) helps you get energy and nutrients from your food. B12 (COBALAMIN) makes red blood cells.
These are not the only vitamins nor have I listed all the important things they do in your body, but this gives you an idea of why you should eat foods rich in these vitamins. (And popping a pill isn’t the same thing.)
Here are some ideas of where you can find the vitamins I’ve listed:
Vitamin A is found in eggs, whole milk, butter, bright yellow and dark green fruits and veggies.
Vitamin D, as you probably know, can be obtained by exposure to natural sunlight. Fish oils and egg yolks are two additional sources.
Green leafy veggies, nuts, and whole grains contain Vitamin E.
Fruits such as cantaloupe, oranges, and strawberries contain Vitamin C.
Bread products such as bagels and oatmeal contain Thiamin.
Yogurt and milk contain Riboflavin. So does liver. I know. I know. Liver isn’t too many people’s favourite.
Niacin is found in fish and meat. You can also find it in peanuts.
B6 is found in bananas and prunes.
B12 is also found in a variety of meat, fish, and dairy.
Most of these vitamins – and the minerals we will discuss next week – can be found in all food groups: breads, fruits and vegetables, meats and their alternatives, and dairy. This is why it’s so important to eat a variety of foods every day.
Go ahead. Try something new today.
If you would like to investigate this topic further, I suggest picking up Nutrition for Dummies or Nutrition for Canadians for Dummies.
Don’t Run Away
OK, let’s say you’re running a marathon. (I’ll be on the sidelines cheering you on.) But seriously…Would you win – or even finish – if you ran while looking over your shoulder at where you’d been? Of course not.
However, that’s how we approach our eating habits – at least, I’m guilty of it. While I was talking with a friend this evening, I realized too often we run away from our poor eating habits rather than running toward good ones.
We scold ourselves and resolve to do better.
No more lattes.
No more fried food.
No more red meat.
No more cheese.
No more chocolate.
No more baked goods.
No more ice cream.
Doesn’t that make you want to run right out and order a caramel latte (one of my weaknesses), a cheeseburger, and fries. And, to top it off, a chocolate croissant with some Rocky Road ice cream? Maybe not, but you get the idea.
I suggested to my friend – advice I should heed as well – instead of thinking of why all her favourite foods are bad for her, she learn what nutritional benefits she can gain from eating healthy food. We should no more than think, “This food makes me gain weight, and that food doesn’t.”
Join me next week when we learn about some of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need and where to find them. Knowing how our food is working from the inside out to make us stronger and healthier will give us something to run towards.
Maybe we can all get ready for that marathon.
Avoid Temptation
You’ve heard the adage Don’t shop when you’re hungry? Something similar applies to your choice of eating establishments. Today, I broke all the suggestions listed below.
1. If you’re a carboholic, it’s best not to eat someplace that bakes their own breads and pastries. The smell alone…
2. If you have a sweet tooth, the deli attached to a bakery…not such a good idea.
3. No matter what your nationality, if you’re sure you must be part Italian, you might want to avoid the restaurant that specializes in pasta and pizza.
4. If you’re a coffee drinker, it might not be the best idea to hit up a place where a dozen varieties of coffees are set out just beckoning you to refill your cup time and again.
5. If salt’s your downfall, walking past a rack of gourmet potato chips on the way in – and on the way out – might be something you want to avoid.
6. And when a holiday is approaching, you may not want to indulge in that pie that only you will enjoy. It doesn’t matter that it’s on sale and right at the entrance.
So, those are six things I’ll have to advise, “Do as I say, not as I do.” But there’s good news.
1. OK, so maybe I chose a bad order here. I did buy baklava to bring home with me. Sigh! Angelo’s and baklava just go together.
2. Despite the cookies, squares, and cheesecake calling my name, I restricted myself to only buying baklava. That’s gotta count for something.
3. I passed up the pasta, the perogies, and the pizza in favour of a salad plate. Yay, me!
4. To an honest to goodness coffee drinker, I definitely wouldn’t qualify. I like the flavoured stuff. I know. I know. Repeat after me, “It’s not real coffee.” Despite that fact, I did have a cup – a single cup – of butter pecan coffee.
5. I only saw the chips after lunch – and after all, I was buying baklava.
6. And that cute little $4.00 pumpkin pie? Well, it’s still at the store. Again…yay, me!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, all…even those of you who aren’t Canadian.
Change it Up
Neither my workout partner nor I were feeling up to par today. That doesn’t mean we didn’t exercise. We did, but we modified some things. Just because you can’t do everything you want to – or feel you should – doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.
Whether you’re feeling under the weather or on top of the world, there are times to change up your exercise routine. Here are a few example:
1. if you have a cold or the flu
2. if you have an injury
3. if you have respiratory issues
4. if you have blood pressure abnormalities (You may be unaware of these issues. That’s one of many important reasons you should check with your doctor before beginning or changing an exercise program.)
5. if you have less time to exercise than usual
6. if you’ve been doing the same routine for too long
7. if you did resistance training focusing on the same muscles less than 48 hours ago
8. if you’re bored
9. if you’ve stopped seeing results
10. if you want to
Have you made any changes to your routine recently? I’d love to hear about it.
Work Backwards
Time to choose a long-term goal. For me, that goal is April 15, 2012. At the end of April, we will be traveling west for my son’s graduation. We plan to continue on from Saskatchewan to Alberta to spend some time in Jasper. (My husband has wanted to return since before we were married 29 years ago.) The air is thin in the mountains. That plus the fact that I have mild asthma means I must deliberately improve my cardiovascular capacity.
My goal: Be prepared to, at least, go on some of the shorter hikes with my family.
I could say, “I’m going to power walk for 60 minutes every day until then.” However, that’s not going to happen. I know myself too well.
Let’s break it down into doable goals. By the middle of March, it’s my goal to power walk five to six days per week for 45-60 minutes.
By the middle of January, it’s my goal to power walk for 30-45 minutes three to four times per week.
By mid-November, it’s my goal to power walk for 30 minutes three times per week.
Beginning next week, it’s my goal to walk for 45-60 minutes three times per week.
That plus resistance training three times per week should prepare me for our trip west.
What is your long-term goal? How can you break it up into bite-sized pieces?
Remember, before adding physical activity to your routine, check with your doctor.
Who Needs It?
Today’s post may remind you of The Berenstain Bears Bike Lesson.
1. I don’t eat breakfast. Who needs energy for the day?
2. I resist the urge to walk, run or swim every day. My heart and lungs aren’t all that important.
3. No need to do resistance training three times a week. Who says muscles should be toned and bones strong?
4. Vary my workout routine? My body won’t know the difference.
5. Stretch after exercising? But I like being achy for the next couple of days.
6. I don’t eat veggies. They’re for rabbits.
7. Only fish need water.
8. Eat protein? There you go with that healthy muscle thing again.
9. My family can survive just fine on fast food.
10. I’ll exercise as faithfully at home with my DVDs as I will with a friend.
11. I’m too busy to figure out a physical activity I can participate in with my entire family.
12. I get more done if I stay up until 12:00 or 1:00 every night and get up at 6:00.
