And I’m not the only one saying it

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/101101/science/science_exercise_fitness_colds_1

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As the long weekend approaches, might I remind you all to wear sunscreen!

As you can see from this picture – I did not take my own advice.  I was wearing a sports bar while I was painting my deck. I was paying for it for days!

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I don’t know if you’ve been in a Starbucks recently – but they are pushing their new instant iced coffee – VIA. That’s all well and good- and the coffee actually tastes good- but what makes me mad is how they are advertising it. They are offering samples and telling tasters that it’s “lightly sweetened”.

If you look at the back of the package and read the nutritional label, lightly sweetened it is not.

There are two ingredients in VIA. Sugar and Coffee. Sugar is THE FIRST ingredient.

One packet, which makes two cups (or one Grande sized drink) has 100 calories in it. Pretty low compared to a Strawberry Frappachino – but NOT lightly sweetened. It’s sweetened. I guess when the lady at the store told me it was ‘lightly sweetened’ I assumed that it had maybe 16 calories worth of sugar (1 teaspoon), not 100 (6 teaspoons) . ***It has just 20 calories less  than a Grande Coffee Frappachino Light.***

If they offered samples and simply said – yes there is sugar in here – I would not have to write this post – but it’s the way they are selling it that frustrates me. So, from me to you  – a friendly heads up!

At least this way when you make the decision buy the new instant iced coffee from Starbucks, you know what your drinking.

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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means that the body can not store it. It must be replenished each day. As most of you know, the best place to get your Vitamin D is from Sunlight.

What does Vitamin D do?

• Promotes Calcium Absorption
• Helps with bone growth * Good for prevention of Osteoporosis!
• Regulates the immune system – fights the common cold!

New studies have shown the possible role Vitamin D is playing in:

• Preventing Multiple Sclerosis
• Brain function in elderly
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Reducing risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women

If you don’t live on the sunny side of town the best place to get Vitamin D in from a vitamin supplement or through fortified foods like whole grain breads and cereals.

How much Vitamin D do you need? This is up in the air. Some people suggest 200IU some suggest 600IU. Talk to your doctor to find out how much she/he recommends for you. My doctor recommended I get 1000IU a day.  I get mine in the form of Ddrops.

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1. What Does Folate Do?
2. What is Vitamin B12?
3. What Does Vitamin E Do?

1. Unless your eating fresh produce, almost everything you eat will come with labels. It is very important to read and follow the serving sizes on the label. Pay close attention to how much a serving size is, and how many servings are in the box. Sometimes you will buy a muffin and assume that it’s one serving. I mean, why would it be otherwise?! But chances are that muffin is 2 or even 4 servings. All the information you will need to figure this out will be on the label.

• Pour your morning bowl of cereal into a measuring cup before you pour it into your bowl. Look at your labels. They are there for a reason, I swear!

• If you want ice cream, have it. One serving of ice cream (½ cup) never hurt anyone.

Take time to learn what your portions look like on your plates and in your bowls at home.

Pasta and Grains:

For Pasta – normally you’re looking at about three-fourths of a cup or two ounces. But check the label of the brand you buy. Measure it out a couple of times so you can see how many noodles you get to eat in relation to your bowl at home. Then fill out your pasta with veggies and protein! The bowl gets pretty full, pretty quickly.

For Grains- Things like Rice, Quinoa and Barley are generally 1/2 a cup per serving.

Protein: One serving of protein is 3-4 ounces. I recommend:

• 3-4 ounces for women
• 6 ounces for men
• I measure my protein on a kitchen scale once it’s been cooked. A cheap scale at your local kitchen store should run you $10-15. It’s a worthwhile investment that you should make if you can.

Fruit: They say compare your apple to a baseball—kind of tough to do. All apples look like the size of baseballs to me! This is where your scale comes into play. But if you don’t have a scale on hand:

• Typically, round fruit is approximately 2-3 inches in diameter per serving.
• Bananas should be no more than 6 inches long or 3.5 ounces per serving.
• Grapefruit                       ½ of the fruit
• Berries                            ½ cup – 1 cup
• Dried Fruit                      ¼ cup
• Avocado                         1 ounce (3 slices)

Vegetables: I personally (although, would some would disagree) don’t think you can have too many green vegetables, especially if you’re someone who likes a big plate of food. Have as many servings of green vegetables as you like (as long as they are not covered in butter!).

When the color is not green, have a closer look at your serving size.

• Sweet Potato                          ½ cup mashed
• Squash                                    ½ cup
• Potato                                     ½ cup (normally half a potato)
• Corn                                        An ear 5-6 inches long/1/3 cup niblets

Nuts: 1 ounce

Approximately  – 23 almonds/ 18 Cashew Nuts /  7 Brazil Nuts / 7 walnuts

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3. The Passover Challenge – Dinner Ideas

*Cross & Strength means cross training(something other than running) and strength training.

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Here is how you turn your Artichoke Heart into a pita replacement!

1. Wash your Artichoke Heart
2. Cut the base stem off and the pointy tips on all the leaves. This is best done with scissors.
3. Place your Artichoke In a boiling pot of water, and let it boil for 30 – 40 minutes.
4. Remove and cool.
5. Serve along side any dip!
6. Pick a leaf off! Use the bottom of the leave (the meat) to scoop the dip and then with your teeth you scrap the leaf so that you get the meat from the plant and a little dip too!

* You can also scoop out the top few leaves and put your dip inside the middle of the Artichoke for a fancied up version!

P.S- The ‘heart’ is the BEST part. it’s hidden under all the leaves at the very bottom of the plant! YUMM!

Now, here is the scoop on the Artichoke:

1. 25 calories in a medium artichoke with no fat or cholesterol!
2. 16 essential nutrients!
3. 12% recommended daily Intake (RDI) of Fiber
4. 10% RDI of Folate
5. 10% RDI Vitamin C
6. Not to mention Iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium to name a few!
7. All these vitamins and minerals can help reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease, cancers and birth defects.

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I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud but I think it’s important for someone to tell you the honest truth about losing weight. None of this 10 pounds in two weeks business! None of this eat everything you want and lose 60 pounds! It’s important to know what you’re in for when you start to make changes – this is not to discourage you,  this is so you are realistic and not disappointed when you begin your journey. If you know what’s ahead of you, you will be more likely to succeed. Brace yourselves, I have my school-marm uniform on.

b) Being a healthy weight is worth the struggle. You add years to your life, YEARS! You eliminate major risk facts for disease and are able to feel better and be more active. It’s kinda crazy that someone can go from having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes to NOT HAVING any of these things without taking any medication- but by simply changing what they eat. And all that can be done in a matter of months. MONTHS! Now I would personally say months of suffering is worth all that! Especially if the months of suffering allows you to watch your kids grow up and meet the grand-kids!

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1. Listen to your body. If your body is telling you to stop or if you feel an injury lurking. Back off. Running is great, but it’s also really hard on the body  (especially the joints). Once you get injured, you can’t run – so do everything you can to prevent that from happening. Get the right shoes and listen to what your body is telling you.

2. Don’t run 3 days in a row. Don’t run two days in a row. Always take at least one day off running. On one or two of the days off – it is a great opportunity to weight train. Build those muscles so that they can handle the work ahead.

3. If 3 days is too much for your body – follow the schedule, but only do two days of running a week. On the third day – cross train. Ride your bike, take a class, use the elliptical, go swimming. Anything to keep that heart healthy!

4. During weeks 11 – 13 – do the longer runs twice, on the third day do a short version of the challenge. So, for instance -  in week 12-  instead of doing the run/walk eight times – do it just 4 times.

5. During weeks 14 – 17 -  listen to your body. Do the long runs just once and go for two short 20 minute jogs on the other days.

6. If you are already ahead of the game and week one is something you can do with your eyes closed, feel free to start the program at which ever week you feel you are currently training at.

HAVE FUN!

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Here is a link to all the marathons happening during the 2010 running season:

http://www.everyoneweb.com/worldmarathons/

I honestly think that having a goal (or a finish line -literally) is REALLY helpful in motivating you be active.

Depending on your fitness level, whether it’s a walk or a run – singing up for a charitable event or part of a marathon – it is the BEST WAY to encourage yourself to stay motivated. When you can visualize your goal – your goal has a purpose. Let’s face it, it’s hard to get to the gym just becuase it good for you! But knowing that on such and such a date, your name is signed up to cross a finish line – well, you’ve just made yourself accountable!

Not to mention the rewards, benefits and life experience you’ll gain!

Feel free to email in and let me know what you’ve signed up for!

I will be posting training schedules in the coming days so stay tuned!

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