Good nutrition & convenience can go hand-in-hand



 Focus on good nutrition while making use of pre-prepared foods and you’ll find that healthy eating is easy.

One of the biggest complaints people have about eating healthily is the perception that it requires more hours in the kitchen to prepare nutritious meals.  But there are so many convenience items available now that preparing healthy meals is a snap.
For protein, you can buy fish or poultry that’s already seasoned and ready for quick grilling or frozen pre-cooked shrimp that can be tossed with some pasta and veggies for a quick dish.  And don’t overlook canned tuna, salmon or chicken breast that can be added to salad greens, rice dishes or soups.
You can also boost the nutritional value of condensed soups by mixing them with nonfat milk or soy milk instead of water.  As the soup is heating, toss in some frozen mixed vegetables, or some loose pack spinach to add nutrition, flavor and bulk.  Frozen-loose pack vegetables allow you to use only what you need and are ready to eat in minutes.
Salad preparation can also be quick thanks to pre-washed salad greens, all sorts of pre-sliced and chopped veggies and baby carrots.  Add a splash of low-fat bottled dressing and some pre-cooked chicken or shrimp and you’ve got a quick and healthy meal.
Fresh, pre-washed and cut veggies are available in the produce section, and if your market has a salad bar you can often find them there, too.  Pop them in the steamer, toss with some pre-chopped garlic or onions when they’re crisp/tender, and you’ve got a gourmet dish in minutes.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD

Correct stretching: how to find balance with flexibility training

Let’s talk about the dos and don’ts of stretching.  Flexibility is one of the key factors of any good fitness routine. Yet,  many exercisers often misunderstand some key aspects related to correct stretching. 

How to stretch, when to stretch and how long to hold stretches are just a few of the questions that people ask on a regular basis. 

Some people are born to be more flexible than others.  The good news is that whatever level of flexibility you’re born with, correct stretching will help you improve. 

Why is stretching correctly important?

1.      Stretching helps you maximize your body’s ability to move freely.

In simple terms that means stretching helps you get out of your own way internally so your body can perform at its best. Tight soft tissue can restrict joint movements and hinder important tendons from effectively doing their job.

2.      Stretching helps you avoid injury.

Training with tight muscles can lead to serious injury and muscle tears. With these two reasons in mind, you should never skimp on stretching before and after exercise.

How much stretching is enough?

“Fitness is not a one size fits all situation and, because flexibility is a factor of fitness, you must determine what is right for your own body” You should navigate your own personal stretching needs and keep these dos and don’ts in mind.

Correct stretching dos and don’ts

 Do:

• Spend time doing dynamic stretches before exercising.
• Dynamic stretching involves gentle movements to increase your range of movement. It improves blood and oxygen flow to soft tissues prior to exertion and also prepares receptors within the muscle to perform.
• Prepare your body with fluid flowing movements such as arm circles, leg swings and gentle bending.

Don’t:

• Use jerky bouncing or forced movements to increase your range of motion as this can cause injury.
• This ballistic stretching forces your muscles into an extended range of motion and the risks are not worth the rewards.

Do:

• Dedicate at least 10 minutes after a workout to loosen tight muscles with static stretches that you hold for approximately 30 seconds.

• Stretch to the point of slight discomfort then back off a little and hold. This type of stretching can improve your overall flexibility and may decrease the amount of muscle soreness you experience after exercising.

Don’t:

• Stretch to the point of pain or severe discomfort. You shouldn’t ever hurt your body though exercise and too much flexibility is not good for your body.
• Your joints rely on muscle tension to hold them in the correct position so, if you overstretch or push your body past what is comfortable, you can increase the likelihood of joint and tendon problems.

Find your own perfect flexibility balance

There is an art to finding your body’s balance and the only way to do it is to be aware and conscious of your movements. It’s simple advice but make sure you exercise commonsense at all times when exercising! If you listen to your body the chances are that you will achieve results faster and you’ll avoid causing yourself injury.  Part of this commonsense approach to exercising is listening to your body: if you feel any pain or discomfort then stop.

If you take an exercise class show up a few minutes early to a class and do your own dynamic stretch routine before the class starts and if you need to, stay a little later after class to complete your warm-down. If you are rushed for time then don’t rush your stretching: try to make your main workout more effective instead by using combination exercises.

Your body is exactly that it’s ‘your body’.  Take responsibility for caring for it correctly and never just copy someone else’s routine.  Instead educate yourself and find what works for you. Start at the top of your body, gently working your way down and addressing all major muscle groups.  Stretching and movement is natural, so relax and do what feels right.

Written by Samantha Clayton.

Meal Deals -� when more isn't necessarily better

A “meal deal” is no bargain if you’re just buying extra fat, sugar and calories.

There’s an old joke that goes something like this:  two women are having lunch in a restaurant they haven’t been to before.  As they’re finishing up their meal, one says to the other, “You know, the food here is really terrible!” To which her companion snaps back, “I’ll say!  And such small portions, too!”  It’s so true, isn’t it?  No matter what we’re buying, we’re always looking for a good value – even if it’s food that isn’t very good…or very good for you.

Getting more for your money is generally a good thing, and we’ve been conditioned to look for the best value in everything we buy – from laptops to laundry soap.  But if getting more for your money means getting more fat, more sugar and more calories, that can spell trouble for your waistline.

How often have you felt prodded to overeat – swayed by sales pitches that encourage you to buy more and consume more – and, by implication, “save” more?  Order the bigger burger, and there’s a good chance you’ll be offered a meal deal for a discount on your soda and fries, too (after all, you’ll need more liquid to wash it all down).  Order a large pizza, and you also get a sack of free breadsticks delivered to your door (just what you need for dinner… bread, with a side of bread).

Too bad the same doesn’t seem to hold true for healthy food.  Most of the time, when you buy fresh fruits and vegetables, you buy them by the pound – it doesn’t get any cheaper the more you buy.   I’ve been to movie theaters where I’ve been charged for a cup of water (just the cup, mind you – I had to fill it myself with water from the water fountain).  That’s because the cup probably costs the theater a lot more than the soda does – they could practically give it away if they didn’t have to pay for those darn cups.
How can you keep yourself from giving in when you’re feeling outside pressure to overeat?
Focus on getting nutritional value, not just a huge amount of food
Is your goal really to buy “more food for less money”? What you should be thinking about is how to buy the most nutrition you can with your money.  Spend $3 on a fast food meal and you’ll get about 40 grams of fat and a quarter-cup of sugar.  For the same three bucks, you could buy a carrot (all your vitamin A for the day) an orange (all your vitamin C for the day) a banana (a hefty dose of potassium), a bunch of broccoli (nearly all your folic acid for the day) and a can of black beans (22 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber).
Practice saying “no, thanks”
A few weeks ago, my local supermarket was giving away a one-liter bottle of soda with every purchase of $25 or more.  The checker just couldn’t believe that I didn’t want it – “but it’s free!”
So practice saying “no”…“no thanks”… “thanks, but no thanks”…”I’m good”…
You’re the one who determines how much you should be eating
Remember who’s in charge.  Just because a restaurant is willing to throw in an extra helping of food and call it “dinner”, doesn’t mean it’s an appropriate amount of food for you.  You know what how much you should be eating.  Keep a mental image of your portion sizes, and do your best to stick to them. 
Don’t buy it if you don’t want it
Sure, it sounds like a deal if you “buy one and get one free”.  And, if you’re good at taking home the extra for another meal, this might work.  But if you don’t want it – and you know you’ll be tempted to eat it – don’t buy it.  A “good deal” isn’t so good if you’re getting something you really don’t want.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD.

The Truth About An Active Lifestyle

People imagine having to dedicate hours to insane workouts or worse, they might think of extreme sports that they’d hate like, perhaps, skateboarding and skydiving. I think this is because the term ‘active’ can have so many meanings.  We hear the word being used in commercials with a visual of a man diving off a building and the tag line “Active men use this deodorant” and it sets an expectation about what ‘active’ really means.

Some people think you have to be skinny to be active. Again this is because the media often uses the term ‘active’ while showing incredibly toned bodies with 6 pack abs. Subconsciously, this can make us associate an active lifestyle with too much hard work and danger. So if you, like so many others, find yourself saying “I’m not cut out for this active lifestyle thing” let me try and change your mind.

The perils of our modern lifestyle
The modern world of technology and advanced transport has changed the way we live. We often spend far too much time sitting at a desk staring at a screen. And, it’s a sign of the times that many people go straight from front door, to car, to parking lot.  Then they ride the elevator up to their offices, often with no fresh air in between leaving the house and arriving in the office.
Being active doesn’t take much; adding a walk around the block or even to a colleague’s desk can at least get you up and out of your chair.  I always like see how people mix up their commutes by adding a walk, climbing the stairs or even cycling if they’re feeling courageous.
Talking of bikes, have you seen the ’push bikes’ that now have engines on the back?  Or the little motorized scooters?  I bet that no one dreamed how popular these would become back in the 1990s…
Technology is wonderful but it has made us a little lazy. Just because you can sit on a bike and let it propel you to your destination, it may not be the best choice for your body especially if you want to stay healthy.
Find your own ‘active’

The truth is that if you are not sleeping or sitting still, then you are being active.  Even fidgeting counts as activity and helps you burn calories!

Finding the level of activity that is right for your body is the best piece of advice I can give you.  Increasing your activity level can be as simple as taking a midday stroll or as dramatic as training for a marathon. Once you make a commitment to increasing your activity level, guess what? Every few weeks your body will adapt and you may be inspired to take it to the next level.
In my world the meaning of ‘active’ changes every day.  Some days it’s riding real bikes around the yard with my kids and other days it’s an extreme mountain trail adventure… Both are active, both are enjoyable and both are fun!
Getting on the activity ladder is often the biggest step of all, but now that you know that being active does not have to mean skydiving and high intensity workouts, you may be ready to start climbing up your ladder to a more active life.
Written by Samantha Clayton.

Meet your goals: 4 tips to make you healthier, happier & more productive

Whether you need to exercise more or you want to up your game in life, you may benefit from these tips. 

1.  Ask yourself WHY? And then write it down.

Be honest with yourself about why you want to improve. In my experience, once you put it down on paper it becomes real.

-  Do you need to get fit? Why?

-  Do you need an energy boost? Why?

-  Do you have extra pounds to lose? Why?

-  Or, do you want to compete at a higher level? Why?

The reason you give will help you understand HOW you can best meet your goal.  For example, if you put down that you need to get fit because you want to have more energy to play with your kids, then it makes sense to build up your activity levels by involving your children.  You could race with them or work out on the sidelines while they’re absorbed in an activity they love.  That way you’re meeting your goal of becoming fit and doing something that will make you happier.

2.   Set a GOAL and make a plan.

Many people find that once they have a specific goal to strive toward, it motivates them to get started.  Begin with something achievable and make sure your goal is tangible.  Deciding to ‘get fit’ is pretty abstract, so try to quantify what you want to do.  Maybe you want to walk outside for at least 10 minutes every day or you want to be fit enough to take part in a 5k jog in three months time… Think about what you can and what you will do to become more active.

3.  SHARE your goal.

Tell people about your goal and they can help you stay on track. If you share your plans with a loved one, friend or co-worker, they can help you by holding you accountable. Making a verbal commitment can also help boost your motivation.  Once you have verbally made a commitment to improve yourself, the added pressure of someone asking you about it, may push you to succeed. This will help motivate you on the days you are tired or trying to find an excuse to quit.

4. PLAN for success instead of failure.

Don’t self-sabotage.  If you hate running, then putting running into your plan will sabotage your efforts before you even start. Yes, running is good for you but if it brings back terrible memories of childhood gym class or cross-country races then chances are you’ll suddenly find an old closet to clean out instead! Make a smart plan by picking an activity you enjoy.  With so many physical activities to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something that you can look forward to each week.

***

Find your WHY, write your GOAL, SHARE your goal, make a PLAN, and head toward success in all that you do.

The Diet Tug of War

What to do if one of  you wants to diet, but the other doesn't.

http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/

Why we need to eat well

 

Eating healthy food not only makes you feel good, but it also boosts your energy and improves your memory. Additionally, getting important nutrients in your diet helps ward off heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and other health conditions, says Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, LD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. A good diet also helps you maintain a healthy weight, which is critical to feeling good and preventing illnesses. Formula 1 Shake Mix from Herbalife provides you with all the nutrients you need for a balanced diet. Check what Dr. Liugi Gratton MPH had to say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxkT8Oc8FSs&feature=related

Get yours today at http://myfigure.greatshapetoday.com

Core Products

The Core Products of Herbalife are a winning combination. The Formula 1 Shake Mix, Formula 2 Multivitamin and Formula 3 Cell Activator have made a difference in my life. 


Almost three years ago I had spinal cord surgery that left me paralyzed from the chest down. My doctors didn't know if I would regain feeling, or the use of anything below my chest. With a lot of hard work and physical therapy I've come a long way surprising my doctors and surpassing their expectations. I hit a platoe in my recovery and was unable to find a way to advance my rehab. Traditional medicine and pharmecuticals had taken me as far as they were going to take me. I was looking for something to give me a boost to break through that wall and continue to excel in my rehab. I found Herbalife and wow, has it's products made a difference. The third day I was on the core products I  felt more energy. I was able to do more exercises, I felt like my strength increased and I had less fatigue between exersies. Eventhough I still have deficiences from my surgery I still lead an active, healthy life style and usually have sufficient energy. I was truly surprised at how these core products were able to give me the boost I needed to get back on track with my rehabilitation efforts and improve the way I feel on a day to day basis.



See what Dr. Luigi Gratton , Vice President of Nutrition Education at Herbalife has to say about these products.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bup4yiIlmy4