Archive for March, 2010

Challenge #13– March 29, 2010

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Week Thirteen: March 29, 2010

Challenge: Lucky Thirteen!

When it comes to training, circuit training, interval training, or strength training, there are a number of ways we can go about it!  The more we switch up a workout routine, the more work our body ends up doing, keeping on top of the different ways we may be working the same muscles.  If you have found your workout regime that fits your schedule, just make sure you’re always demanding a little bit more from your body during the half-hour, hour or more you put in.  Whether you’ve decided to increase the weight you lift, increase the intensity or incline of your treadmill walk/jog/run, or add an extra 10 sit-ups to your abdominal exercises, always push that little bit more.

This particular week: Lucky Thirteen!  It’s also a short week! So a great time to put in a little extra effort or time at the gym, your lunch hour, or morning routine, for the little extra indulgence that usually comes with the Easter Weekend! (and maybe even a day off from the gym!)

If you follow a set strength training routine, think about where you can add an extra 13 pounds or kilograms to the weight you lift during your workout.  It doesn’t have to be focused on one muscle group, but rather collectively over the duration of the workout.  If you have a set circuit training regime, complete ONE extra set of 13 reps at least once through your workout this week.  For example, if you train your upper body as such: chest press x 15 reps; triceps extensions x 15 reps; lateral raise x 15 reps; biceps curls x 15 reps, and complete that circuit 3 times through, complete 13 extra reps of ALL exercises in that particular circuit.  If you commit to 30 minutes of cardio every other day (walking outside, treadmill jog, stairmaster, elliptical, climbing the stairs at your office), tack on an extra 13 minutes to your time, and keep that heart rate elevated for a little longer.

Essentially, whatever you may include in your physical activity routine throughout the week, I challenge you to the Lucky Thirteen just to see where you can push yourself to and what more you really are capable of!!  You may just enjoy the extra push and keep it in your routine in the weeks to come!

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Challenge #12– March 22, 2010

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Week Twelve: March 22, 2010

Challenge: Fresh, Dried, Spice, Savour!

There have been a number of efforts made by the food industry in the last years to decrease the amount of sodium used in food preparation.  But how much is the flavour affected?  What then is added to those same food products to ensure satiety and satisfaction by the consumer?  Fat, sugar, cholesterol?  We all know when these nutrients are consumed in too high amounts, they too take a toll on our bodies in an unhealthy way.  So, what becomes the best way to flavour our food, satisfy our palate and keep our body functioning at its optimal level?

Numerous studies have shown the health benefits of certain fresh and dried spices and herbs, packing a whole lot of flavour in just a small amount!  Take ginger for instance.  More common in Asian and Indian cuisines, using it as a flavour-enhancer for chicken, fish, stir-fries, vegetables or even holiday desserts, will switch up your regular method of preparing such foods as well as provide your body with a source of antioxidants.  Add a small amount of fresh (minced) or dried ginger to your favourite salad dressing next time around! 

Pairing different fresh and dried spices and herbs follows well with the seasons.  In the words of Chef Anna Olson, “what grows together, goes together”.  We can use this as a first guide to help us get the most flavour from our favourite pasta dish, sautéed vegetables, grilled salmon, chicken or lean beef and even desserts!  For instance, in sticking with the seasons, we know that fresh local fruits and vegetables are more plentiful during different times of the year.  In the fall, when the weather turns cool, the bittersweet flavour of rosemary is ideal for hearty stews, meats and salads.  We also know that spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are ideal for our favourite Thanksgiving dishes and desserts, such as squash, pumpkin, potatoes and apples, which are the produce that are more readily available, fresh, and grown locally during this time of year.  

When the winter hits and we crave warm pots of soup, casseroles and comfort foods, you can find fresh herbs such as thyme, bay leaves and coriander to punch up the flavour of these dishes.  Cumin, mustard, turmeric and bakers spices are more plentiful at this time, and perfect for cabbage and potato side dishes or your best holiday apple treat!

Asparagus, spinach, peas and roast lamb are wonderful spring produce and dishes, and pair together well with the season’s mint, chives, thyme or coriander.  Slice a few radishes in your next mixed green salad and kick up the flavour of your salad dressing with a small amount of paprika.  Or choose cardamom as the spice in an oatmeal rhubarb crisp!

Of course we can’t forget about our summer months when a small amount of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil does the trick for your tomato and cucumber salad!  Fresh herbs such as oregano, dill, mint and lavender fill the herb gardens and add the perfect touch to your picnic salads, or grilled eggplant, zucchini and pepper blend.  Chili pepper adds a spicy kick to any dish with just a pinch and packs in the antioxidants.  Capsaicin gives chilli peppers their nutrient profile, and the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin (and antioxidants) you’re getting!

Most importantly….non-processed!  Foods in their most natural form (the perimeter of the grocery store) should always be on the top of your list and your number one priority for the health of the most important machine….your body!

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Challenge #11– March 15, 2010

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Week Eleven: March 15, 2010

Challenge: Switching It Up!

One of the most common questions I receive regarding physical activity and weight loss is the famous “I have reached a plateau in my weight loss and have not seen a change in a while!”  When we begin a workout routine, allocate our certain days to fit in physical activity, and stay with it for a period of time, our body adapts to burning that certain amount of energy during the half-hour, hour or longer we invest at the gym.  So, what can we do to get over the hump?

First of all, you have to understand that when you implemented your workout routine and committed to sticking to it, you may have seen a lot of weight fall off (eg. working out 4-5 times/week, including high cardio and weights).  The initial weight loss would be more water loss, and then as you begin to lose actual fat, while gaining muscle mass, it may take longer.  The important thing here is not to get discouraged, because you are still doing a whole lot of good for your body.  Although you are losing fat mass and replacing it with muscle mass, muscle is more dense than fat.  This is not to say that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat…..a pound is a pound!  But what we are trying to get across is that if you have a certain AMOUNT of body fat, and it is slowly being built into muscle, this will weigh more – but there are so many more health benefits along with it!  Most importantly, is the fact that muscle burns more calories than fat, so while you are at rest, or are working out, there will be a higher calorie burn.  So, the number on the scale isn’t necessarily the best gauge, compared to how you feel overall, and how your jeans fit.

So, what can we do to help beat the plateau?  A couple of things:

  • Look at your Nutrition:
    • Plain and simple: You Are What You Eat!  You can’t spend an hour at the gym and think that having a burger and fries afterwards is justified.  Our bodies need the right fuel to keep us going through the day, keep our bodies strong, our minds focused, and our hearts ticking strongly!
      • Write down your meals, and snacks for 2 weeks!  Be accountable for what you put in your mouth and make more conscious healthy decisions on a more regular basis (that treat every once in a while is OK to have as a reward!)
      • Speak with a nutrition professional or Dietitian to help further explain little adjustments that need to be made, and why one choice is better over another
  • Switch up your workout routine:
    • If you normally work out in the evening, try working out in the morning or adding a 15-minute power walk during your lunch break (enjoy that sun!)
    • If you do cardio 3 times a week and weight training 3 times a week, combine one or two of your weight training and cardio workouts, and take 2 rest days [ie. Monday – cardio; Tuesday – cardio +weights; Wednesday – cardio; Thursday – weights; Friday – off; Saturday – cardio + weights; Sunday – off)
    • Add in stretching and flexibility training such as a yoga class
  • Change your cardio:
    • If you spend 30 minutes a day on the elliptical or treadmill, at the same speed and intensity/incline, change this up! Challenge yourself to increasing the intensity/incline, or speed (and even spending less time – 20-25 minutes)
    • If you frequent classes in a gym- setting, try a different class for a while, or look into attending a bootcamp class
  • Re-visit your weight training:
    • If you are on a certain weight training routine involving free weights (or machines) and circuits, is it still tough for you to get through that last set of reps?  If you can make it through 3 sets of 15 reps (on a certain muscle group) without breaking a sweat, or fighting for that last set to be over, then you need to increase the weight selection!  Speak to a personal trainer or fitness trainer to show you different ways of building leaner muscle and strength as opposed to “bulking up”

Posted in CHALLENGES, FITNESS, HEALTH | 1 Comment »

Challenge #10– March 8, 2010

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Week Ten: March 8, 2010

Challenge: Celebrate Food…From Field to Table

As promised, this week I challenge you to think “locally” as you make your grocery and food purchases each day.  Each March, Canada celebrates National Nutrition Month®, providing resources, information and education surrounding a specific topic of interest —- this year, we “Celebrate food…from field to table”.  Although the winter months and those leading into the spring make it a little more difficult to purchase locally grown food in Canada, I challenge you to choose local whenever available this week.  Additionally, I encourage you to choose a plethora of foods in their most natural, whole form, or in other words, non-processed!  This is definitely a challenge when we are faced with the numerous pre-packaged food availabilities right at eye level, but remember, the better we fuel out bodies with whole, natural foods, the better our bodies will be able to function at their most optimal level. [Visit “Let’s Take a trip...to the Grocery Store” under the ‘Nutrition’ tab for more information]

Some tid bits of information The Dietitians of Canada (http://www.dietitiansofcanada.ca/) have put together to further spark our interest and knowledge on locally grown food products are shared below.  I encourage you to navigate through the Dietitians of Canada web page for more practice-based information on the wonderful world of nutrition!

  • Eat your beans!!  Chickpeas are one of the fastest growing Canadian food products.  They fuel our bodies with a good source of fibre and fullness at any meal enjoyed at.
  • Our smallest province…PEI…produces most of Canada’s potatoes (24%) followed by Manitoba (21%), Alberta (17%) and New Brunswick (15%).
  • ‘Our Home and Native Land’, Canada, exports more mustard seed than ANY country in the world! 
  • ‘An apple a day’ —this crunchy satisfying mid-day snack is Canada’s  largest fruit crop in terms of weight of food produced
  • In 2006, Statistics Canada noted over 200 000 farms operating in Canada.  One Canadian Farmer can now produce food for about 120 people for a whole year!
  • Local foods are usually fresher, and you have the opportunity to support local farms and farming families!

So, carry on this week, and think about how you may want to start your own mini vegetable garden, whether on a balcony, in small planters, on a little spot in your yard, or really get into it and think about your favourite fruits and vegetables to plant in your own full-sized garden this spring, summer and fall —–because it’s just around the corner!

For more information on Nutrition Month®, visit www.dietitians.ca/eatwell

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