Health Foods Blog

Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
One of the best ways to work out on a budget is to exercise at home because it’s FREE.

Main Course
Invest in a few pieces of inexpensive exercise equipment that will allow you to get a total body workout at home.

- Dumbbells. Dumbbells are small, hand-held weights that you can use to strengthen your upper body. They’re available in many sizes, but most women only need 3lb, 5lb and 8lb to start out with.
- Resistance bands. These stretchy tubes offer weight-like resistance when you pull on them. Choose from varying degrees of resistance, depending on your fitness level.
- Jump-ropes. Skipping rope can be a great cardiovascular workout, and you can get these for just a couple of dollars.

Buy used equipment. Check out listings for used exercise equipment on local online ad boards like craigslist.com. Online auction sites like eBay are also a good option, but make sure the shipping costs won’t put the item out of your budget.

Turn your home into a private aerobics class with a good selection of exercise videos. Borrow videos from your library or a friend, or rent them from the video store before you buy them to see if you like the routines. Another great option is signing up for Netflix or another mail delivery program that will allow you to keep fresh titles coming each week. Be sure to pick videos that match your current fitness level so that you don’t get discouraged by exercises that are too hard or too easy. Some small equipment may be required, depending on the activity you select.

Dessert
My personal fave of all of these ideas, is getting a great set of exercise DVDs. The music, exercises and instructors make me feel like I’m actually part of a real class rather than just doing bicep curls in my living room. My clients also love the fact that they can get all of the variety of a fancy fitness center (maybe even more) in the most convenient location - their own home.

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
Many of us have been trained to feel like we’re not working out unless we’re actually at the gym or using expensive infomercial equipment in our basements. The truth is that you can create your own workout anywhere, at any time.

Main Course
You don’t necessarily need special equipment like a treadmill or elliptical machine to get a great cardiovascular workout. With a little planning, some of the daily activities you take for granted can become part of your exercise routine:

Get in extra steps whenever & wherever you can. Take a brisk walk every day, whether it’s a path through your neighborhood or laps in a local mall. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or make a full workout of climbing the stairs. Sneak in extra steps whenever you can by parking farther away from your destination.

Pick up the pace as you do your household chores. Mow the lawn, weed the garden, rake the leaves or shovel the snow, but make the movements intentional and try to maintain a quick pace while you’re working. Even indoor activities such as vacuuming and scrubbing count as a workout if you increase your heart rate.

Don’t sit on the sidelines. If you have children, don’t just watch them play. Join them for a game of tag or kickball. Walk them to the park. Dance. Take a family bike ride.

Dessert
Many of my clients are under the impression that an activity doesn’t count as a real workout unless they’re going for at least an hour. I’m not quite sure where this thought pattern originated, but it’s not true. Feel free to break your workout into 15-minute increments throughout the day. Something is ALWAYS better than nothing, so get moving whenever you can.

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
The residential real estate market, along with gas prices and the economy in general, is causing savvy consumers to cut back on their “wants” in order to afford their “needs.” In these situations, expenses that feel like splurges are oftentimes the first to go. Follow my next few posts to find out how to meet your financial obligations without sacrificing your health.

Main Course
Paying for a gym membership and the gas it takes to get there can be expensive, but there are plenty of other options for getting in shape. Here are some low-cost alternatives to help you get fit without breaking your budget:

1. Improvise by using ordinary household items for various upper and lower body exercises.
   1. Canned goods. Many canned goods can serve double duty as hand weights.
   2. Milk or water jugs. Fill empty milk or water jugs with water or sand and secure the tops with duct tape. To adjust the weights as your fitness level changes, simply add more water or sand. If you wonder how much weight you’re lifting, simply weigh the jug on your household scale.
   3. Potatoes. A 5- or 10-pound bag of potatoes can provide added resistance for various exercises.
   4. A low, sturdy step stool can become exercise equipment if you use it for step training — an aerobic exercise resembling stair climbing.
   5. Chair. You can use a chair for many seated exercises with makeshift weights or use the seat as a platform for your hands while doing triceps dips. The back of the chair serves as a good place to hold on for extra balance when doing things like leg lifts.

Dessert
These may sound like corny ideas, at first, but remember that it’s usually the simplest things that, when done consistently, add up to the biggest results. I’ve gotten a great reaction from clients who saw me deliver these same tips on Fox 5 Atlanta last month: Watch the TV Clip

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

David Rocco on the Heart and Stroke Foundation Website

The host of Canada’s Food Network has partnered with The Heart and Stroke Foundation to create a series of on line cooking videos about the Mediterranean diet. The videos which will run monthly for 12 months were filmed entirely on location in Italy.

Each month Rocco will be showing viewers how to create simple meals based on the Mediterranean diet, intending to show people that they can eat delicious food and yet maintain a healthy weight.

The videos which can be seen at www.heartandstroke.ca/davidrocco

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: nim

It would appear that the Federal Food and Drug Administration are making good progress in the investigation of the recent salmonella outbreaks in the United States and Canada.

A link has been found back to a Mexican farm where the irrigation water appears to be not as it should be.

At the farm the problem has been linked to raw Mexican jalapenos and serranos. The salmonella strain known as, ‘Samonella Saintpaul’ has been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So fat at least 242 have been hospitalised, with many others reporting symptoms of infection.

Originally it was thought that tomatoes were to blame but attention has now switched to these peppers. The FDA is now advising people not to eat raw jalapenos or foods containing raw jalapenos grown in Mexico.

Again the need for careful standards of hygiene is highlighted as contaminants appear to have made their way into the irrigation water used in the growing of this product. Unfortunately this impacts on the country’s conscientious food growers too, who lose out probably due to the actions or omissions of a less responsible grower.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: nim

It would appear that the Federal Food and Drug Administration are making good progress in the investigation of the recent salmonella outbreaks in the United States and Canada.

A link has been found back to a Mexican farm where the irrigation water appears to be not as it should be.

At the farm the problem has been linked to raw Mexican jalapenos and serranos. The salmonella strain known as, ‘Samonella Saintpaul’ has been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So fat at least 242 have been hospitalised, with many others reporting symptoms of infection.

Originally it was thought that tomatoes were to blame but attention has now switched to these peppers. The FDA is now advising people not to eat raw jalapenos or foods containing raw jalapenos grown in Mexico.

Again the need for careful standards of hygiene is highlighted as contaminants appear to have made their way into the irrigation water used in the growing of this product. Unfortunately this impacts on the country’s conscientious food growers too, who lose out probably due to the actions or omissions of a less responsible grower.

Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.