A New Year and A New You

It's here again: a brand new year.  It’s a great time to re-evaluate your health habits and set some new goals to better yourself.  This year, follow your dreams, but be realistic.  Here are a few tips to help you select some great goals:

• Try something new.  If you have been doing the same thing expecting different results, it’s time to mix it up. 
• Be honest with yourself. You are better off setting smaller, attainable goals.  If you make your goal to difficult you are setting yourself up for disappointment. 
• Write it down. Then put it somewhere where you will see it often, and keep track of the steps you are taking to meet your goal.
•  Share it.  Tell a friend and ask them to hold you accountable. 
• Reward yourself.  Give yourself a pat on the back (or a little something more) for meeting your short-term goals.  Just make sure your reward isn’t unhealthy food!

Low-Fat Gingerbread Cookies

Low-Fat Gingerbread Cookies

Being healthy doesn't mean you can't enjoy in the holiday fun.  This cookie recipe has about half the fat of a typical gingerbread cookie, so go ahead and indulge just a little. Your family won't even notice a difference.

Ingredients:
* 3 Tbsp. coconut oil, softened
* ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
* ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup dark molasses
* 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp ground ginger
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* ½ tsp allspice
* ¼ tsp ground cloves

In a large mixing bowl, beat the coconut oil, sugar and applesauce until smooth. Add the egg and molasses, mix well. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices. Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well. Divide the dough into two flat balls; cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously dust the surface of your working area with flour before rolling out the dough. Keep one ball in the refrigerator while you work with the other.  Roll the dough out to 1/4 or 1/8-inch thickness. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough if it's too sticky. Use your favorite cookie cutters to shape your cookies. Place cookies 1 or 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes.

Servings: 48
Servings size: 1 cookie
56 calories
11 g carbs
1 g fat
1 g protein

Things to Consider When Joining a Gym

There are many advantages to exercising in a health club or gym. Diverse equipment, group classes, personal trainers, child-care, and a focused environment are a few. But before you sign a contract, here are a few things to consider:

• Location - Is the gym within a 15 minute drive of your home, school, or office? Research shows that gym attendance drops dramatically when the transportation time exceeds 15 minutes.
• Comfort - Most gyms will give you a free trial for a few days or even a week so you can try it out. Some gyms even have a “women-only” area.
• Equipment and Facilities - If you enjoy swimming, join a club with a pool. Elliptical lover? Check out the cardio equipment and make sure the machines are running and in good repair. If cleanliness is a priority for you, take a tour and make sure the maintenance staff is meeting your expectations.
• Cost - Read the ENTIRE contract, including all fine-print. You don’t want to be surprised with extra fees after you’ve written your check. Find out what the cancellation policy is before you commit. Don’t be pressured into signing up on the spot.
• Classes - If you like going to group classes, get a schedule and try the classes first. Read the descriptions carefully, and don’t be afraid to ask other members which classes they like.

Soreness

Have you ever had a great workout, only to wake up in a lot of pain the next day? Delayed onset muscle soreness has symptoms including pain, stiffness, tenderness, and muscle swelling. But don’t stop exercising just because you are sore! Here are some tips to help prevent and alleviate some of the symptoms of a tough workout:

• Drink a lot of water
• Be sure to ingest protein within 60-90 minutes after your workout
• Always warm up, cool down, and stretch as part of your workout
• Increase workout intensity gradually over time
• Get moving – by getting the blood flowing to the sore muscles, they will recover faster
• If necessary, use an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or aspirin

Relaxation

Feeling stressed, over-worked, too busy, or frazzled?  Taking time out to relax is more than a luxury, it’s a necessary part of dealing with the rigors of life.  Research shows too much stress can lead to lower immunities and none of us have time to be sick.  We all need some time to unwind.  By scheduling relaxation time into your day, you will find yourself refreshed and invigorated and ready to face your daily challenges.
Everyone relaxes in different ways, so find what works best for you.  Here are a few ideas:
 

• Schedule time in your day to do NOTHING.  Turn off all electronic devices and find a quiet place to sit, alone, with no interruptions.  Just five or ten minutes can be effective.
• Practice slow deep breathing by closing your eyes and focusing only on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
• Take a quick break to stretch.  You can do this anywhere.
• Practice “progressive relaxation” by tensing, then relaxing each muscle group.
• Plan fun and relaxing activities into your evenings and weekends so you have something to look forward to.

Body Image

Many women and men alike have poor opinions of their own bodies. These bad feelings can spill over negatively affecting all areas our lives and relationships. If you have a poor body image, here are some things you can try to improve it:

• Care for your body by giving it proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep
• Set some realistic short-term and long-term goals toward a healthy lifestyle
• Dress in a way that makes you feel good at your current weight
• Focus on being strong and healthy, not skinny or perfect
• If necessary, remove mirrors from your home that show anything below your shoulders
• Focus on the positive: remind yourself of the things you like about your body and about your personality, talents, skills, etc.

Keep in mind too, that your biggest critic is usually yourself. Quit comparing yourself to others, and focusing on feeling good and being “your best self.”

Tabata Training

Are you short on time, or just want to try something new? Tabatas are a fun way to mix up your workout and add some high intensity interval training. Tabatas have been scientifically proven to increase anaerobic capacity and V02 Max. Dr. Izuma Tabata and a team of researchers from The National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan created this training method and studied the effects.

The Tabata method uses eight bursts of high intensity work at twenty seconds each, followed by ten seconds of rest. For example, a Tabata sprint on a stationary bike would consist of sprinting at 90-100% intensity for twenty seconds, followed by a ten second recovery, repeated eight times for a total of four minutes.

Tabatas can be performed with cardio or strength exercises. An example of a strength Tabata interval would be doing push-ups at full speed for twenty seconds with a ten second rest, repeated eight times.

Start with just two or three Tabata intervals, and work up to as much as an hour of different four minute Tabatas. Try this with jump-ropes, squats, sit-ups, shoulder presses, or whatever you like. If you truly push yourself, you will be amazed at the results.

Fall Willpower

Willpower…do you have it?  Does your willpower need a boost?  This time of year can be especially hard with the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas Holidays approaching.  Festivals and gatherings seem to be synonymous with a spread of delectable high-calorie foods.  How can you prepare yourself ahead of time to avoid ruining your healthy eating pattern?

Here are a few suggestions, try them and see which ones work for you:

• Plan ahead.  Decide how many and what types of treats you will allow yourself to have before heading to the party.  If you eat extra clean all week, you can afford a dessert at the party.  Just don’t let one dessert lead to five.
• Take your own healthy options.  Volunteer to bring something to the party, and show up with a veggie tray with a light dip, or a fruit creation.  Search for healthy recipes for dips and appetizers on Pinterest.  
• Eat a healthy dinner before you go, brush your teeth, and stick with a glass of ice water at the party.  If you show up hungry and the choices are limited to creamy soups and sugary treats you won’t have much of a chance. 
• Stay busy.  If your party has games or activities, offer to be in charge of one. You’ll spend less time at the buffet table and more time making sure everyone is enjoying themselves.  

Fitness Barriers

There are several barriers that can prevent a person from getting the adequate exercise needed. Below are some barriers and possible solutions. Barrier #1: Too tired after a long day of work or not enough time in the day.

• Solution: Get up half hour earlier and exercise in the morning. Schedule exercise into your daily routine (raking the lawn) and make it a priority, or even a family event.

Barrier #2: Treadmill or stationary bike is boring.

• Solution: Change it up! Take a bike ride outside, go bird watching on your hike, meet a friend to workout with and chat away, or exercise during your favorite show. Instead of watching the time, just enjoy the movie or hour show and know you are done when the show is over.

Barrier #3: Not having a lot of money to spend on a gym membership or exercise equipment or not having someone to watch my children.

• Solution #1: Go outside. Go to a park or sign up for free events through recreation center. Check with your employer to see if they offer discounts for gym memberships.
• Solution #2: Trade babysitting time with a neighbor or friend. When choosing a gym, find one with childcare and take your children with you.

Injury Prevention & Treatment

Being smart and preventing injuries is so much better than having to treat and “baby” an injury. There is nothing worse than getting to week 8 of a 10 week training schedule to complete your marathon or triathlon and come to a halting stop due to an acute injury. Some important and helpful tools:

• ALWAYS warm-up your muscles slowly.
• ALWAYS cool-down and bring your heart rate down slowly.
• ALWAYS stretch out. Hold a good stretch for at least 30 seconds. You should be able to feel your muscles relax and extend the stretch even more. When you hit that point, hold it for about 10 more seconds.
• DON'T be afraid to use anti-inflammatory medication before and after a hard work out or long run. Taking something before can help prevent swelling and inflammation, after a work-out can keep the swelling and inflammation down and under control (not to mention help with the pain)
• DON'T be afraid to use ICE right after a hard workout. Once again, try to get ahead of the swelling and inflammation and stay ahead of it to keep injuries under control. One great way to ice a specific joint or muscle is to use an ice bag or put water in a Dixie cup and freeze overnight. Then take the cup out of the freezer and massage/ice the sore spot. Peel the paper cup away as you continue to ice while it melts.

Goal Setting

Goal setting can be very advantageous when done correctly. At the same time, individuals become very discouraged when the fail at the goals they set. Here are some basic yet helpful suggestions when you set your goals that will help keep you on track and be successful instead of discouraged.

• The first thing to ask yourself is what is your end goal or the “big picture” you want to accomplish. DO NOT STOP THERE! This is just the first step.
• Next find small “baby steps” on ways to reach that goal. For example, if your goal is to lose 35 pounds by your school reunion (six months away), set smaller goals that will help you reach that. One pound per week is a good pace to set for yourself. Therefore, four to five pounds a month is reasonable and healthy.
• Finally be smart with your goals. Use SMART acronym.

• S - Specific (or Significant).
• M - Measurable (or Meaningful).
• A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
• R - Relevant (or Rewarding).
• T - Time-bound (or Trackable).

Benefits of Weight Lifting

What are the benefits of weight training and how often should you lift weights?

• One of the major benefits of weight training is that as you build more muscle mass you will burn more fat at a resting heart rate and active. So, in short, if you are lifting weights and just stand for thirty minutes you will burn more calories than if you are not.
• Also lifting weights keeps your body burning calories long after the work out.
• Weight training helps to strengthen your bones.
• Weight training also prevents injuries that can occur from simple accidents.

Avoid Strength Training Mistakes

Are you a little intimidated when you think about strength training or walking into the “weight room land of testosterone”?

Here are a few suggestions and common mistakes.

• If you are not familiar with weight training, you can get one appointment with a personal trainer and have them show you a few lifts or machines to work on your major muscle groups. Many gym memberships offer this as part of your sign up fee.
• If you have access to a gym, go to the weight machines that will keep you in correct form in order to prevent incorrect posture and injury.
• Find a work out partner, especially one with experience or guidelines. Most people find it easier if they work out with someone else passionate about their health.
• Don’t be afraid to ask your peers.
• There are many online sources that can show you certain lifts for certain muscle groups (bodybuilding.com) is one of them.
• If you are somewhat familiar with free weights, make sure to lift your weights in front of a mirror and watch your movements in order to maintain the correct form and posture.

The Fitness Craze

Sometimes the monotony of your exercise routine decreases the enjoyment and benefits you get out of your workout. There are many fitness crazes out there that can help get you out of your exercise funk.

Some of these fitness crazes are:

• Airobics, exercise on trampolines.
• Suspension: strength training, using your own body weight and gravity for resistance.
• Elite Fitness: muscle confusion
• Jumping shoes
• Pole Dancing
• Kettlebell

'Fitspiration'

Need a little ‘fitspiration’? Having a motto or motivational mantra can help you stick to your fitness goals. Below is a list of some of Today’s reader’s motivational sayings.

1. "It took more than a day to put it on, it will take more than a day to take it off."
   -- Emily Coburn
2. "'You've got to shock your body to change it' and 'You're one workout away from a good mood" are two of my favorites."
   -- Claudia Zapata
3. "(M)y mantra is: 'I HAVE TO DO THE WORK.' It is NOT going to magically be that way when I wake up, there is NO magic pill, someone else is NOT going to take my body and work out then give it back all while I am sleeping: so I have to be realistic and understand I HAVE TO DO THE WORK to get WHAT I WANT out of my body and health..."
   -- Alicia Waldeyer 
4. "The difference between try and triumph is a little umph."
   -- Danna Goshorn

R.I.C.E.

Summertime is a fun and active phase for many people. With this activity comes a possible increase in injuries. Many acute injuries are not serious, but can dampen the spirit and physical capacities of any active individual. If you find yourself with a sprain or strain, remember RICE.

• REST the injury. Give it time to recover and prevent secondary injuries.
• ICE the injury immediately after the incident. A bag of crushed ice is best since you can wrap it around the joint or injury…even a bag of frozen peas works great.
• COMPRESSION around the injured site will prevent swelling from spreading and encourage the fluid away to allow healing. Tie or tape the ice bag around the joint, but not too tight, you should be able to slide two fingers between the skin and bag of ice.
• ELEVATION reduces gravities effect on swelling. Raise the injury a little, but be sure to support other joints. For example, raise an injured ankle, but be sure to put support under knee joint as well.

Family Fitness

Summer is a fabulous time to get out and be active with your family. By being physically active with your children, you are teaching them healthy lifestyles skills that will improve their quality and quantity of life! There are also many social enjoyments and bonding that benefit a family that is active together.

Here are some easy, fun, and inexpensive family physical activities:

• Family bike rides: Just head out on a local greenbelt, bike, trail, or safe roadway. Pack a picnic lunch and have a destination of a local park (with playground for younger children).
• Local bike parade: Many towns will have a bike ride for families with t-shirts, raffle, and prizes. Register for that and you’ll meet many new families with the same goals as well as being escorted by the local police.
• Hike together as a family: There are so many places with easy hikes for children, more advanced hikes, or expert hikes. Hiking also allows you to see some beautiful country. Include a nature hike by picking all the different wild flowers you come across.
• Swimming: what better way to cool off for the summer as well as be active and have fun.
• Run/walk together: On a beautiful evening, instead of sitting in front of the television, go for a nature walk or exploritive walk. There are also probably some fun local walk/runs including half mile or miles for little children.
• Ever heard of a dirty dash! What would be more fun and active than running through a mud obstacle course as a family…what child or adult wouldn’t love that?

Why cycling takes off pounds:

• Bicycling gives you more energy to burn
• Leads to better sleep
• Helps curve your appetite
• Relieves stress
• It is fun
• Makes you healthier

Top 4 Gym Mistakes

According to ABC News Medical Consultant Dr. Raj, CEO of Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute, it just takes one injury to stop you from working out for a long time. Fortunately, most minor injuries have simple fixes.

Here are four ways to avoid common exercise mistakes:

• Make sure to warm up to prevent when most injuries occur.
• When performing squats, make sure to keep your toes in front of your knees.
• Stand in a staggered stance when curling or lifting weights
• Don’t sprint downhill.

(menshealth.com)

Improve Your Ab Workout

Doing your abdominal workouts correctly is equally as important as just doing the workouts. Below are some tips to help improve your abdominal workouts.

• Make sure your form is correct
• Do more plank poses, bicycle crunches, kettlebells, use bosu and exercise ball
• As you breathe pull bellybutton in towards your spine instead of pushing it out.
• Change it up!
• Keep up cardio
• Eat the right foods
• Slow down on the work out
• Get enough sleep

Exercise & Allergies

Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from allergies, so how do you exercise with them?

• Change your schedule. Pollen is worse during the cooler hours of the day, so try working out later in the day.
• Stay inside and do an exercise DVD or use home exercise equipment..
• Avoid allergy-aggravating foods like certain fruits and vegetables.
• Eat the right foods, such as yogurt.
• After being outside, remove articles of clothing to avoid tracking pollen through your home.

Sleep

Are you one of the 65% of Americans who encounter sleep problems? Sleep is essential to fight off sickness, decrease risk for obesity as well as depression; it is also an important time for your body to rest and recover from the day’s activities.

Here are six bedtime habits that are ruining your sleep.

1. Reading books in bed. It is okay to read before bedtime, just take it out of the room or bed.
2. Working on computer before bed. The brightness from the screen stimulates your brain, so keep it simple and keep it off.
3. Buying cheap or incorrect mattress and pillow. Choose the correct firmness in mattress and pillows.
4. Using bright alarm clocks: cover the alarm clock or buy a small traveling clock. The light emulating from the clock can distract you. “If I go to sleep right now, I’ll get 5 hours and 32 minutes of sleep before I need to wake up.”
5. Counting sheep: if you have been in bed trying to go to sleep for 30 minutes, get up, find something mundane to do, and you’ll find yourself crawling back into bed.
6. Exercising late at night. An intense workout raises your body temperature and boosts your energy level, making it hard to calm down and go to sleep at bedtime. Try to keep workouts at least three hours before bedtime.

Power of Citrus

Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are delicious, refreshing, and nutritious!

• One medium orange contains more than 100% RDA for vitamin C.
• May shorten length of symptoms from the cold or flu.
• They boost good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol.
• Water and fiber within these fruits will help you feel full longer, resulting in possible weight loss.
• Use citrus juice instead of salt on your next meal.
• May help reduce cancer.

http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/the-power-of-citrus

Plate Pushes

Try something new and different to your workout that works your core, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Better yet, finish off your old workout with it. Place a heavy plate 20-35 pounds on top of a towel. Put your hands on the plate and drive with your legs, pushing the plate quickly across the floor, about 25 to 40 yards. Repeat two to five times only resting 60 seconds between each circuit. For best results, keep elbow straight, push with long strides and keep hops lower than shoulder (similar to a plank).

Get a Better Burn

After your regular workout try to finish off with a quick burst of energy to increase your heart rate and burn more calories. It will only add an additional five minutes to your workout but give you quicker results.

Think of circuits in 20 second or 30 second increments with only 10 second break between each workout. Go through each movement twice.

• Speed Squat: feet hip-width, bend knees 90 degrees, return to stand. Remember to keep chest upright.
• Squat Thrust: feet hip-width, bend knees and place hands between knees on ground, then kick legs back to push-up position (increase difficulty by bringing legs back to squatting position, then exploding up with both hands in air as high as you can jump…called burpees).
• Mountain Climbers: in push-up position, bring knees up to your chest, alternating, similar to running in place.

Speed Skip: skip in place bringing knees up to chest.

Recovery After a Workout

The sooner you intake your post-workout food the quicker your recovery will be, which means the sooner you can jump back into your training. Here are some suggestions that include protein and carbohydrates:

• Low fat chocolate milk
• Brown rice pudding with bananas
• English muffin with cheese and egg

(www.runnersworld.com)

Pre-workout Food Ideas

There is a unique balance of dietary intake before a run or workout. You need to have the nutrients necessary to get you through the workout or run, but not something that will make you feel heavy, increase chances of side-aches, or slow you down. Here are three easy ideas for a pre-run/workout snack. Suggestion, eat one hour before your workouts.

• Glass of milk and a couple graham crackers
• Whole grain waffle and peanut butter
• Trail mix (make your own with ½ cup cereal, 2 tablespoons nuts and 2 tablespoons dried fruit)

(www.runnersworld.com)

Never Been a Runner? No Problem!

There is one form of exercise that can be cheap, easy, and available. Running. All you need is a pair of tennis shoes and the open road, sidewalk, or trail. Running is a great calorie burner, can be done morning, day, evening, or night, and even begins right out your front door (no driving to the gym). Don’t be intimidated if you have never been a runner. Here are some easy guidelines to get you started.

• Head out for a 30 minute walk/run. If you walk the whole time, no problem, keep it at a brisk pace.
• The next time you head out for your 30 minute run/walk, run for 1 minute, then walk for 29 minutes.
• If you feel good while walking, run another minute or two, then walk. Slowly build up the number of minutes you are running.
• Pretty soon, you’ll be running the entire 30 minutes and loving it as well.
• Sign up for a local future 3K or 5K to give yourself something to accomplish at the end of your training.

Change It Up!

Are you stuck in a monotonous rut? Does your exercise start to feel more like a chore than something you look forward to? There is a quick and easy way to help you get out of that rut…CHANGE IT UP! Muscle memory starts when you get comfortable with your workout and the workouts become less challenging. This is the point that you should try something new in order to prevent your betting getting to use to a workout.

• Aerobic/Runners: change up tempo, uphill, downhill, sprints, biking, spin class, step-aerobic, kickboxing, go run outside vs. treadmill.
• Muscle strengthening: try kettlebells, resistant bands, bar bell, dumb bars, medicine balls, whatever method you currently are NOT using.
• Stress relaxation and flexibility: yoga instead of Pilates, meditation.

If intimidated to try something new on your own, call a friend and follow their exercise plan. Try a new fitness class. Change it up and get yourself out of that fitness rut.

Heart Month

It’s heart month—and we don’t just mean Valentine’s Day. February is American Heart Month. Below are recommendations from the CDC to show a little love to your heart this upcoming month.

· Be active! Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

· Eat a diet high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables, and low in sodium and fat.

· Know your ABCS:

o Ask your doctor about Aspirin therapy

o Control your Blood pressure

o Manage your Cholesterol

o Stop Smoking

Learn more at www.millionhearts.hhs.gov