Archive for September, 2009

“Break” -the- “Fast”

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day!  But why?  According to a study by The American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org), eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity by 35-50%.  When you skip a meal, your brain signals your body’s metabolism to slow down and as a result, your blood sugar drops.  What’s worse, is that skipping breakfast may cause you to overeat later on in the day.  A healthy breakfast should aim to include food items from three of the four food groups and approximately one-quarter to one-third of your daily calories.

  • Eating breakfast starts your path on getting the essential nutrients your body needs each day: calcium, iron, fibre and the B-vitamins are such nutrients which we tend to not get enough of.  Most breakfast items (high fibre cereal and whole grain breads, milk, fruit, eggs and peanut butter) contain many if not all of these nutrients helping us get up to speed.
  • Incorporating breakfast helps in maintaining a healthy weight: breakfast starts our metabolism up for the day and allows us to follow proper eating patterns and portioning throughout our day.
  • Taking the time for breakfast allows you to perform and function better throughout the day: getting our brain ready for problem-solving tasks through work or school, or any physical work required by our jobs are reached by having breakfast.  Overall, it helps to increase our attention span, focus and productivity overall.
  • Eating breakfast is one step towards a healthy heart:  studies have shown that eating breakfast helps to lower cholesterol levels by choosing healthy breakfast items such as whole grain bread, fresh fruit, high quality protein or low-fat milk and dairy product.
  • Eating breakfast is a positive habit which also sets an example for your children and those around you:  Get into the habit! It will save you in more ways that one and allow those around you to set their health path in the proper direction!

 healthy_breakfast

Fuel your day with these nutrient-dense breakfast choices!

Cereal Medley

  • 1 C High Fibre Cereal Mix such as All-Bran Buds + Fibre One + Optimum Cereal + Müslix Cereal*
  • 1 C Skim or 1% milk
  • ¾ C raspberries and blueberries

*choose cereals that provide more than 5 g of fibre per serving

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

  • 1 C non-fat vanilla yogurt
  • ½ C Granola (such as PC Blue Menu or home-made)
  • ¾ C fresh fruit of choice (banana, peaches, strawberries, kiwi)
  • 1 Tbsp ground flax
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

In a rush in the morning?   Put all of the ingredients into a re-usable container and enjoy when you get to the office.

Posted in NUTRITION, RECIPES | No Comments »

Take a Stretch Break!

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

stretchingWe know that our body is made up of a number of key and crucial muscles to help protect our bones and keep our posture as upright as possible.  In order to maintain muscle tone and a proud posture, we don’t only need to strengthen our muscles, but also stretch them in order to keep their flexibility and mobility through different ranges of motion.  Jobs that require us to sit at a desk for long periods of time tend to create tension throughout our postural muscles: our shoulders, lower, mid and upper back, as well as our neck and head.  Further to this, strengthening our core muscles through the front and back will allow us to become more aware of maintaining that “perfect posture”.

Stretching is something you can do at the office, or in front of the computer, to get you going.  It’s a great way to limit pain by keeping muscles flexible and relaxed, by allowing us to achieve a normal range of motion of our joints and mobilize the soft tissue that surrounds the joints.  If done regularly, stretching can prevent the build up of muscle tension that leads to pain, postural problems and joint restriction.

For most individuals, the best stretching routine involves static stretching during which we hold a muscle in a lengthened position for a short period of time.  It is important to stretch the muscles to a point of slight discomfort and NOT pain, and for about 5-20 seconds, depending on the stretch.  On top of this, office stretching is a great way to unwind, clear your mind and energize yourself.  There are a number of quick and easy stretches you can do while sitting at your desk which will help to alleviate any pain or soreness you may endure.  If it helps, you can even set a reminder notice on your calendar to pop up every 45 minutes or a post-it note on your office bulletin.  Take the time to stand up and walk around as well.  Take a longer route to get to a colleagues office, the lunch room, the stairs, or the washroom!

stretching_group

Give these a try!neck_stretch_back

  1. BACK OF THE NECK: Sit up straight in your chair and look straight ahead. Drop your chin down as far as possible toward your chest or until you feel the stretch at the back of your neck. Hold for 20 seconds and then return to starting position. Do this three or four times
  2. SIDE OF THE NECK: Look to the left as far as you can and hold the position for 15 seconds. Bring your head back to the starting position and then as far to the right as you can and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat this 3 or 4 times keeping the stretches gentle and releasing.
  3. SIDE OF THE NECK AND SHOULDER: Bring your left ear to your left shoulder, while drawing the right shoulder in the opposite direction. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and then transition, bringing your right ear to the right shoulder. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat each side 4 to 5 times.office-stretching-back
  4. UPPER BACK AND SHOULDER: cross your arms in front of your body, shoulder height, with your palms facing one another.  Draw your chin into your chest as you lengthen between your shoulder blades.
  5. SHOULDER AND BACK OF THE ARM: Hold your left arm just above the elbow with the right hand. Gently pull the elbow toward the opposite shoulder as you look over your left shoulder. Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds on each side.
  6. RIB CAGE AND ARMS: Interlace your fingers then turn your palms upwards above your head as you straighten your arms, keeping your shoulders away from your ears. Think of elongating your arms as you feel a stretch through arms and upper sides of ribcage. Hold for 10-20 seconds.

Posted in FITNESS, HEALTH | No Comments »

A “Step” in the Right Direction

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

The overwhelming awareness surrounding the need to increase activity levels in order to lead healthy active lives seems to be getting more attention, and carried forth through a number of mediums.  Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide/index.html) recognizes that people do not have a lot of time and suggests ways for people to get active in and around the home, as well as to, from and at the workplace, and helps them to understand how they can build physical activity into their daily lives.  Of importance to recognize are the benefits of becoming physically active including:

  • Reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis
  • Stronger muscles and bones
  • Improved posture
  • Better balance and mental health

Recommendations of 30-60 minutes of “physical activity” have been set as a guideline, with many different ways to achieve these guidelines.  [It is important here not to confuse the terms “physical activity” with “exercise”.  Exercise is a form of physical activity that is planned and structured, whereas physical activity includes activities that are part of your daily life, such as housework, active transportation, and workplace or leisure time that is active.] 

The most important thing to remember is that just like everything in life, we need to build it up: Set goals! Aim at incorporating 20 minutes a day for one week, 30 minutes the following 2 weeks, and carry forth from here.  On top of this, choose activities you enjoy, so that you can look forward to planning them into your schedule.  Active living includes:

  • Taking the stairs instead of the elevatorstairs_climb
  • Parking your car a little further to walk the extra 2-5 minutes to the front door
  • Forming a group with your colleagues to incorporate some form of activity during your lunch break
  • Going for a “walk break” instead of a “coffee break”
  • Riding your bike or walking to work if it’s within a reasonable distance
  • Taking 10 minutes each when you get to work, during your lunch break, and after dinner to work a power-walk into your daily routine
  • Being active with your children or neighbours
  • Limit the time spent watching TV and using the computer for your whole family, and replace such activities with something the whole family can do — Going for a bike ride, swimming or skating on weekends, or during the evenings
  • Make an activity plan with your colleagues at work, family, friends or neighbours, creating social network at the same time
  • Give the time to yourself! Focus on YOU while increasing your energy levels overall

In the end, if you focus more on being active during your day, and sitting for as little as possible, you will have taken a “step” in the right direction!

Posted in HEALTH | No Comments »