Archive for February, 2009

CHANGE YOUR MIND.  CHANGE YOUR BODY.  READ A BOOK.

Nothing nurtures more than a good book. (Click on the name to see details of each book)  Eat this, Not That The Color Code Diet In Defense of Food Good Calories, Bad Calories Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine Please send us your health and fitness favorites! Next month we're doing Fashion and Fitness books!  Post here on the blog or email tina@creativebodybalance.com

Before you take offense, you might want to check what's in your cupboard.  Reading the ingredients in the foods you eat daily may lead to some very interesting discoveries.

The "Corny" Truth.  What do cows eat?  They eat corn feed.  We're not dissing that occasional ear of corn because it is a healthy whole food.  What we are down on is another corn derivative called HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). 

Dietary intake of fructose, particularly in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), has dramatically increased in the US in recent decades. Increased HFCS consumption has paralleled increasing rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other conditions associated with poor lifestyle habits.

You might expect to find it in soft drinks, cookies and snack cakes, but you might be surprised to find it in your whole wheat bread, Special K, ketchup, and low fat yogurt!

When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin; which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.

According to experts such as Mehmet Oz and Michael Roisen, high-fructose corn syrup is a horrible sweetener. In their landmark book, "You: The Owner’s Manual," they state:

"One of the biggest evil influences on our diet is the presence of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sugar substitute that itself is a sugar found in soft drinks and many other sweet, processed foods. The problem is that HCFS inhibits leptin secretion, so you never get the message that you’re full. And it never shuts off gherin, so, even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry." (p. 192)

Unlike other types of carbohydrate made up of glucose, fructose does not stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin.  Peter Havel, a nutrition researcher at UC Davis who studies the metabolic effects of fructose, has also shown that fructose fails to increase the production of leptin, a hormone produced by the body's fat cells.

Both insulin and leptin act as signals to the brain to turn down the appetite and control body weight. And in another metabolic twist, Havel's research shows that fructose does not appear to suppress the production of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger and appetite.

"Because fructose in isolation doesn't activate the hormones that regulate body weight as do other types of carbohydrate composed of glucose, consuming a diet high in fructose could lead to taking in more calories and, over time, to weight gain," he says.

To shrink your gut and build a six-pack, awaken your inner abs Start using the natural corset you were born with: the transversus abdominis. It's the horizontal layer of muscle beneath your six-pack, and it can make your waist thinner. This 15-minute Pilates workout (no, Pilates not just for girls)  from Terrence Carey, a trainer in New York City, works both your transversus abdominis (for a smaller waist) and your rectus abdominis (for bigger abs).   The key to working that transverse layer is to pull your belly button toward your spine and hold it there for the duration of each exercise. Do each one slowly, and breathe slowly. Perform five repetitions of the rollback and eight of the toe tap and pushup.
	ROLLBACK Sit with your knees bent and your heels on the floor. Keep your torso upright, shoulders back, and arms extended forward, parallel to the floor [A]. Inhale while keeping your belly pulled in. Roll backward, rounding your spine while you hold your chin to your chest. Stop two-thirds of the way to the floor [B]. Exhale and return to the starting position. As you gain strength, roll back closer to the floor.
	TOE TAP Lie on your back and place your fingers behind your ears. Lift your legs until your knees are above your hips and your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Press your lower back against the floor and crunch forward until your shoulders are off the floor. With your toes pointed down, lower your right foot as far as you can without lifting your back off the floor [A]. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg [B].
	LEG-LIFT PUSHUP Get into the down position of a pushup, your hands in line with your shoulders, about 6 inches away from your body. Set your feet hip-width apart. Push up by straightening your arms. Then raise your left leg as high as you can [A]. Keep your leg raised while you perform a normal pushup by lowering your chest to the floor [B]. Keep your back flat and your body rigid. Switch legs on each repetition.
How to Lose That Gut When doing crunches and all their variations, you spend a lot of time contemplating your belly. If it's rounder than it oughtta be, try these lean tactics:   ·         Eat Lean. You want a flat stomach? Watch what goes into it. Don't worry, pal, we're not telling you to live on alfalfa sprouts and granola. Most guys can get away with making little changes in their diet. Cut down on fatty toppings like mayo, butter, sour cream and salad dressing. Cut back on cheese and fatty red meats. Graze rather than gorge: eating four to six small meals a day instead of three big ones helps your body burn fuel more efficiently.   ·         Exercise Aerobically. Cycling, rowing, running, whatever -- it's your call. Anything that gets your heart pumping will burn away your blubber. Hit it three days a week for 20-30 minutes to start. And if you can, work out before the dinner bell. Research suggests that a pre-dinner workout is an excellent appetite suppressor.   ·         Relax. When stress hits, one of the first things your body does is crank up its production of adrenaline. This causes fat cells from all over your body to release their stored fat into your bloodstream, so you can burn it and use the calories to ecscape or fight off whatever it is that's giving you the heebee-jeebies. But your stress is probably caused by your boss, your kids or the IRS, so all that newly-released fat goes unused.   What happens next, experts believe, is that the fat is taken out of the bloodstream again -- only this time it's stored preferentially around your belly. (You're probably getting stressed just reading this.) So do whatever you can to de-stress. Take up a hobby that will help you unwind. Take time throughout the day to stretch and breathe deeply. Create a simple after-work ritual -- changing clothes, sorting through the day's mail, or just staring at the wall for a few minutes -- that will cue your body that it's time to decompress.   From Men’s Health Magazine

GAME ON!  The Leaner Stronger Sooner Team Updates are in and the results are AMAZING!  Through a combination of healthy nutrition choices, regular cardio workouts and Pilates resistance training our particpants are seeing break through results!  Our teams are led by 4 outspoken TEAM LEADERS who are each convinced their team will win!  Check out the TRASH TALK and keep track- because the winner of this contest will not only look great in a bikini this spring, but win a FREE TRIP TO MEXICO to show it off!

If you aren't reading what's on the label, you may be consuming alot more fat, sugar, and calories than you think.  Reading food labels will help you make better choices about the foods you eat and what you are willing to put in your body. Here's a quick primer...

There are 7 things you need to look for on a food label.  Here's what you need to know about each of them: 1.  SERVING SIZE Start here by checking the serving size. The label describes the nutritional value for the stated serving size, not the whole package. For example, if the label on a box of pasta says the serving size is 1 cup, but you usually eat 2 cups of pasta, you will need to double all of the nutrition information.

2.  CALORIES The average person should consume about 2000 calories per day, less if you’re not active. It sounds like a lot but consider your average McDonald’s Big Mac meal (Big Mac, medium fries and coke) has about 1130 calories. That is more than ½ of the calories you should consume for one day. Remember that the calories listed on the label will only be for the serving size, not the whole package. Spread out the calories you consume over the day 3.  TOTAL FAT (including Saturated Fat & Trans Fat) Total fat tells you how much fat is in one serving of the product you are looking at. It includes healthy fats our bodies need (mono- and poly-unsaturated) and unhealthy fats we should limit (trans fats and saturated fats). Remember to ‘limit’ the saturated fats and ‘avoid’ ALL trans fats.  

4.  CHOLESTEROL & SODIUM Cholesterol and sodium should be limited.  The American Heart Association describes cholesterol as “a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells”. It's an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes and some hormones, and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. Sodium is salt. Adults should aim for less than 2400 mg of sodium per day; this includes table salt as well as salt already present in foods.  If you have high blood pressure, it is recommended to consume even less salt.  Fresh foods are generally much lower in salt than packaged foods.

5.  TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES The total carbohydrates listed include sugars, dietary fibers, and other carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a part of a healthy and balanced diet. However, there are some carbohydrates that are better than others. Try to get the majority of your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grain sources (whole grain cereals, breads, brown rice, quinoa, etc). Click here for information on how to find whole grains at the grocery store. Sugars, listed on nutrition labels, include both added sugars and natural-occurring sugars. Added sugars come in products such as sodas and cookies while natural sugars are found in fruits and milk. Limit the added sugars - you can do this by referring to the ingredients list at the bottom of the food label. Names for added sugars on food labels include:

§ brown sugar

§ corn sweetener

§ corn syrup

§ dextrose fructose

§ fruit juice concentrates

§ glucose

§ high-fructose corn syrup

§ honey

§ invert sugar

§ lactose

§ maltose

§ malt

§ syrup

§ molasses

§ raw sugar

§ sucrose

§ sugar syrup

6.  PROTEIN Helps build muscle. Foods like chicken, tofu, seafood, nuts and beans are high in protein.

7.  INGREDIENTS As a rule of thumb, the fewer ingredients a product has, the healthier it is. Our bodies evolved for millions of years eating the bounty of nature, and that's what suits them best. Ingredients are listed in descending order, from the greatest amount to the least.  This means that foods with sugar as the first or second ingredient are high in sugar and low in other needed nutrients.

BUZZ WORDS: REDUCED FAT, LOW FAT, & LIGHT Don’t let these words fool you into thinking that the product is automatically healthy. These words are often used on packaging to describe products that might be low in fat but not necessarily nutritious. A low fat food can also be high is sugar or high in calories, while offering little that’s good for you.

Tips for finding and buying the healthiest groceries.

No matter how much temptation we face at our local grocery store, they aren’t there just so you can indulge your dietary demons.

They also have mountains of produce, cases of low-fat dairy products, and aisles of other good-for-you comestibles that can liven up your dinner table without sabotaging your waistline.

How you use your supermarket is up to you. Because most of us do a lot of grocery shopping (84 percent of consumers prepare home-cooked meals–presumably with store-bought ingredients–at least three times a week), it’s important to learn to sleuth out the healthiest products while navigating the supermarket smorgasbord.   

These Smart Shopping tips from Prevention Magazine will help you shop with intention, not impulse….

 

Come Prepared

Savvy grocery shopping starts before you leave the house.  Make a list, and only stray from it if the item is a healthy one.  Eat before you shop so you’re in a calm, stable mood. Hunger and stress make you more susceptible to–you guessed it–temptation.

 

Try to go without the kids. Your health goals can be met more easily if you leave little ones at home (where they can’t pester you for candy).

Hit the Walls

Have a strategy before you walk through those doors., The first thing to do is shop the perimeter. That’s where the whole-foods action is. But first, you may have to walk past the bakery. Until recently, fruits and vegetables were the first thing you saw when you entered. Today, 88 percent of supermarkets have in-store bakeries, and some are near the entrance, meaning you have to run the gauntlet of cakes, muffins, and doughnuts just to grab a bag of spinach.  Hold your nose if you have to but pass the bakery and shop for fresh produce first.

Beware of “Innocent” Foods The produce section definitely wins the market beauty contest. It has pyramids of gleaming fruits, big leafy greens, stacks of bright red berries, and–tucked beside the stack–cream cheese dip loaded with fat and calories. What’s that doing there? They’re trying to tempt you by offering a healthful food with an unhealthful one, as if there’s innocence by association. Stick to your list.   

Because most markets get more produce delivered on Fridays and Saturdays for the weekend rush, you’ll find a greater selection of fresh fruits and vegetables if you shop on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

 

Know There’s No Free Lunch - Skip the FREE SAMPLES If you don’t want a food in your house, don’t sample it. Once you’ve tasted it, you’re much more likely to buy it.  A similar principle applies to coupons. Don’t clip a coupon if it’s not for a healthy food.

 

Fresh Fish Only

When buying fresh fish, time your fish buying according to your market’s schedule. Try not to shop for fish on Sundays; there aren’t many deliveries over the weekend. Ask your local supermarket manager when fish comes in, and shop that day or the next. Then cook it the same day.  Or freeze it.  

The deli is a different story. Here, the word fresh does have meaning. Avoid processed meats that will have more salt, sugar and preservatives.  Your butcher will know which meats are roasted.  Steer away from the white deli salads made with lots of high-calorie, high-fat mayonnaise, such as macaroni and potato salads and coleslaw. Better nutritional options include coleslaw made with vinegar carrot salad; and hummus.

 

Become a Cheese Whiz

Most markets, ours included, have two cheese sections: one with domestic cheeses such as American and sliced Pepper Jack, and a second, usually near the deli, with a wider variety of imported and fancy cheeses with hard-to-pronounce names. This is where she urges me to shop. The reason: “You’ll find a lot of more flavorful choices–blue, Parmesan, Camembert.  

A little of these varieties goes a long way, so you use much less, and that means fewer calories and fat for all the flavor. In Europe, where many people eat cheese every day and don’t get as fat as Americans do. Tiny portions of flavor-packed cheeses may help explain that paradox.

 

Choose Select Meats

Choose select cuts, which are the leanest, most healthful, and most affordable meats you can find. Most meat is packaged in family-size cuts. Portion control is key to weight control, and supersize beef doesn’t help. Ask the butcher to package the exact amount you need. Buying less doesn’t guarantee you’ll eat less, but it sure makes it easier.

Beware of perishables like dairy, produce, and meat on sale. They’re often at the end of their life. Check the expiration date, today is the last day to buy that steak, skip it.  

Shop Like a Man Turns out, there’s a big gender gap in shopping styles. Men do surgical-strike shopping. They know what they want, and they go get it. Women browse, pause, read, and choose. There are times when each strategy is more useful–and yields healthier results. For example, if you’re in relatively healthy territory, such as the store’s periphery, it makes sense to browse and select with care. But when you’re in the kind of danger zone we’re in now, browsing yields to temptation. Shoep like a man and move on!   

Skip the Beverage Aisle

There’s nothing here you want.  Nix the smoothies, juice, sodas, and sports drinks, and the sugar they all contain. More and more, high-calorie drinks aren’t limited to the beverage aisle. More than 10 percent of the calories Americans consume come from a combination of soft drinks and juice, and food companies are making it easier to guzzle your calories.   Drink water or tea,  Skip to sodas and have juices sparingly as they are high in sugar and calories.

 

Look High and Low for Health Food

Most unhealthy cereals are stacked at eye level.  We almost have to get out the binoculars to spot the reduced-sugar or no-sugar-added cereals, such as Grape-Nuts, relegated to the nosebleed shelves.  In any store, some products are right in your face and others are harder to find. Many of those easy-to-spot products are paying to be there; 12 percent of supermarket profits come from so-called placement fees, money that manufacturers pay grocers for premium positioning.

And watch out for those tempting cereal-to-go breakfast bars marketed mainly to women. Breakfast bars are all high in sugar, and rarely have more than 2 g of fiber per serving.” In other words, these bars aren’t health bargains.

Avoid Health Food That Isn’t

Just because it’s labeled organic, doesn’t guarantee it’s healthy.  Organic cupcakes and chips are still a high-calorie, low-nutrient product. Organic, shmorganic: If it’s cake, it’s still cake.

 

Ditch “Diet” Foods

Ditto for the diet aisle: steer the cart to load up on energy bars. Don’t bother buying those unless you’re a marathon runner or you want to gain weight. Most of this stuff is low carb, not low calorie, and can add up calorie wise very quickly.  

Check Yourself Out

While waiting in line to pay for my purchases, you can’t help but notice the racks of candy and soft drinks in our path. They’re there for a reason. A whopping 20 percent of customers succumb to last-minute impulse buying while they’re in line–and, no surprise, there is no Brussels sprouts display here.

So try a new alternative: the self-checkout station, where only 12 percent of customers make those last-minute, indulgent food buys. 

Are you fit for the fairway? Do you have lower back pain after you play? Does it take you longer and longer to recover after playing? You don't have to miss time on the course: Pilates for golf is simple and efficient: Often a few simple exercises will help you hit the ball further and straighter, with reduced risk of injury and back pain.

These exercises address all the elements you need for a great swing: improved core strength, flexibility, postural alignment and stability.

Our Pilates for Golf program will help you learn to move in a way that is most natural, efficient and pain free.

 We can show you how to take Pilates techniques right out onto the course.

10 tips for enjoying your Valentine's Day Dinner

Dining out on a diet doesn't have to be cause for panic. With a little planning and preparation, you can make it through eating out without blowing your diet.  

Order from the appetizer menu. Hungry? Order a side salad as well ... a good way to ensure you're still eating instead of watching your date finish off his entree after you've polished off that shrimp cocktail.  

Keep tabs on that tubini. Endless pasta may be your idea of bliss, but it's a scary prospect to those of us who overeat. Stick with a single entree and don't worry about being a member of the clean plate club. I won't tell your mom if you don't tell mine.  

Meat yourself halfway. As tempting as that guy at the booth across from you is making that bucket of fried chicken look, always elect poultry to be prepared the following ways: steamed; poached; roasted; broiled; boiled; grilled; or baked. As for you beef-eaters out there, be sure you choose lean cuts like loin or flank.  

Go light on the wine.  Not only is that cocktail empty calories, it can loosen your resolve to skip the double chocolate molten cake.  If you do drink, remember less is more....that innocent cosmopolitan is nearly 500 calories compared to that vodka on the rocks- 100 calories. 

Beware the buzz words: Cream sauces; butter; oil; au gratin; breaded; Alfredo; battered or batter-dipped and, Mom's favorite topper, gravy. Avoid them all unless you're putting in some extra sessions on the stair climber this week.  

Wrap it up, I'll take it! You know you're at a nice restaurant when the server wraps up your food for you at the end of the meal so you don't have to worry about fashioning that tin foil swan for yourself.  

Share   what's more romantic than sharing your meal with your sweety?  By sharing your entree, appetizers and dessert, you get to try everything and eat less! 

Cram for tonight's dinner. Go online to your favorite eatery and look for the healthiest thing on the menu.  That way you have planned ahead and will be less likely to order spontaneously and blow your good intentions.   

Banish buffets. Portion control can become a foreign concept for the best dieter at a buffet. Who can practice portion control when there are new, clean plates beckoning for more? The variety of foods available at buffets is also daunting; studies have shown when we're given more choices we tend to eat more.

Mini meals make your day. Eat smaller meals during the day if dining out tonight, just be sure you don't eat too sparingly so that you're so famished by dinnertime you end up overeating  Have a small, healthful snack in the afternoon to quell hunger.

HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

 

 

Hearty Low fat Brownies all satisfaction. no guilt.

Ingredients Parchment paper Nonfat cooking spray 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder 2 whole eggs 4 egg whites 1 1/4 cups prunes, puréed in a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup warm water 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup white flour 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour Directions Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Set aside. Combine sugars, cocoa powder, eggs and egg whites in an electric-mixer bowl and beat until light and creamy for about 5 minutes. Slowly add puréed prunes and beat on low until completely mixed in or about 1 minute. Add vanilla and salt and mix 30 seconds more. Sift baking soda and flours together and stir lightly into the batter by hand until just absorbed. (Do not overmix.) Pour into prepared pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until brownies are still soft (but not liquid) in the center. Cool thoroughly and cut into 3-by-3-inch squares.

Serves: Makes 15 brownies Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35-40 minutes Nutrition Score per serving: (1 brownie): 148 calories, 8% fat (1.41 g; 0.6 g saturated), 82% carbs (33 g), 10% protein (4 g), 15 mg calcium, 1 mg iron, 2 g fiber, 127 mg sodium.

10 Tips for your healthy heart...

1. Stop smoking. Quitting smoking is the single most important thing a person can do to live longer. If you are a smoker, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. But from the moment you stop smoking, the risk of heart attack starts to reduce. With public smoking bans recently introduced, there has never been a better time to give up.

2. Watch your diet. A healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also help increase the chances of survival after a heart attack. You should try to have a balanced diet, containing plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice. Avoid foods like biscuits, cakes, pastries and dairy products that are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt.

3. No Boozehounds allowed.  Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to limit your intake to one to two units a day.

4. Couch Potato at risk!  The heart is a muscle and it needs exercise to keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently round your body with each heart beat. You should aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day. If this seems too daunting, start off gently and build up gradually. Keeping fit not only benefits your physical health - it improves your mental health and wellbeing too.

5. Extra weight costs.  More than half of the adult population is overweight or obese. Carrying a lot of extra weight as fat can greatly affect your health and increases the risk of life-threatening conditions such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, start by making small, but healthy changes to what you eat, and try to become more active.

6. Get a check up.  The higher your blood pressure, the shorter your life expectancy. People with high blood pressure run a higher risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. High levels of cholesterol in the blood - produced by the liver from saturated fats - can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diseases that affect the circulation. You can help lower your cholesterol level by exercising and eating high-fiber foods such as oatmeal, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

7. Don't sweat the small stuff. If you find things are getting on top of you, you may fail to eat properly, smoke and drink too much and this may increase your risk of a heart attack.  Choose your battles with your heath in mind.

8. It's all in the family. If a close relative is at risk of developing coronary heart disease from smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, then you could be at risk too.  Heredity is a large risk factor but lifestyle changes can alter your risks significantly.

9. Be aware of symptoms. Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach which comes on when you exert yourself but goes away with rest may be the first sign of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated.  10. Share the love. Research shows people who are in relationships and have a wide circle of supportive friends and family are at lower risk for those who are isolated and alone.  Enlist support from your partner, friends or community organization to reach your personal health goals.  We'd love to have you as part of our Creative Body Family!