My training partner and I like to joke that we should be “certified” for running outdoors on the days we do. Neither rain nor wind nor snow nor ice, you get the picture. It’s not that we’re really that crazy, but more that we’ve both find the fresh air and open spaces exhilarating. And I credit my at least weekly winter outdoor workouts with keeping me upbeat all winter long. I have not experienced any of the cabin fever and depression that some of my friends are experiencing because I haven’t been cooped up indoors for months. Here are a few of my tips (and some from my much more experienced workout buddy):
1. Dress appropriately. When I first started working out in the bitter cold, I was dressed all wrong and I paid for it. Invest in some lined workout pants that are made to wick away sweat. I love the pair I bought from Road Runner Sports. Also well worth the money is a thermal half-zip. Buy one made for outdoor workouts. I’ve literally had sweat freeze into icicles on fleece, etc. The thin material on mine by CW-X keeps me dry and unbelievably warm. Plus it’s got thumb holes that prevent your shirt from riding up your arms and leaving a gap between shirt and gloves. In fact, sometimes I get almost too warm in this.
2. Get the right accessories. The right ear wrap or beanie can make all the difference in the world. So can the right gloves. Now is a great time to buy this stuff too – it’s all on sale! Wear sunglasses even if it’s not sunny. They shield your eyes from the wind.
3. Vaseline. We may look goofy, but we rarely meet anyone on the trails on the worst weather days anyway. Rub a layer of Vaseline all over your face when you work out in cold wind and snow. It will save you from any chapping, chaffing, or wind burn.
If you haven’t checked out the recipes on the O’Keefe’s blog, make sure you do so. As the self-appointed head of the tasting committee, I must say the results were fabulous. Joan O’Keefe brainstormed some color and protein combinations and came up with some unique ideas. Disclosure – I am NOT a picky person. I like almost all foods, even the healthy ones. So, to make the tasting fair, we asked some of the world’s pickiest eaters (a couple of them are right here in our office) to give our recipes a try.
Remember the old Life Cereal commercials? Let’s see if Mikey likes it? Well, we’ve got a few Mikey’s on staff. But, even the pickiest eaters in our office enjoyed our recipes – especially those that included blueberries. The mandarin oranges were also a big hit. After some tweaks, the pumpkin recipe received a lot of favorite votes. It smells delicious, too. It’s comfort food that’s really, really healthy. It’s like pumpkin pie with huge health benefits, not huge guilt. I’m going to test that one on the kids tomorrow – I’ll let you know how it goes.
The goal of providing these recipes is to get people to enjoy whey protein. It’s one of the best things you can give your body. It’s one of the cleanest, purest proteins available and the benefits are astounding. In fact, I’m off to have my mid-day whey protein and some berries right now… I’ll be full until dinner time!
Here’s a fun recipe to try at home with young kids. My kids LOVE the book “Green Eggs and Ham” so this is a fun, easy way to get them to eat color and protein in the morning. Put a cup of spinach in a blender with 2 eggs and liquefy – all spinach texture should be gone. Scramble with cooking spray. Your “ham” can be almost anything. We sliced apples flat and called them “ham.” We’ve used whole grain toast for the ham before – anything goes. This is so easy and takes very little time out of our hurried mornings.
Did anyone see Good Morning America yesterday? The segment’s focus was on new body type research. It seems that pear shapes have it good. I have always gained weight in my hips, thighs and rear. Fortunately for me, researchers say that fat stored in these areas is actually good for you. Researchers were not, however, talking about excess amounts of fat and were cognizant of the fine line between healthy and unhealthy amounts of weight.
Not all of us are quite that lucky. “Apple shapes,” or body types that store fat around the midsection of the body, have more to worry about. You’ve heard from us at Forever Young Diet about the dangers of abdominal or belly fat for a long time now. You know the rules about waist circumference (keep it less than half of your height). I’m about 5’8,” which is equivalent to 68” tall, so my waist circumference should be below 34.” The warnings about belly fat haven’t changed. It’s still dangerous. It still puts you at serious risk for a host of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Read these tips from Dr. James O’Keefe for losing belly fat. click here
I love outdoor exercise. The scenery is better, the hills, the freedom, the fresh air, everything. But, I require a temperature at least in the double digits before I head out for a run. The current temperatures and wind chills in Kansas City make outdoor exercise dangerous and I mean I’m stuck indoors. While walking and running outdoors are the perfect form of exercise, you can’t expect to start walking for exercise in January unless you have a back-up plan.
The key is having something to do that works for you. If you have convenient access to a gym, consider joining in January when rates are low. Just make sure it’s easy for you to get there and not out of your way (that way you can’t make excuses). Most gyms offer free consultations with trainers to show you how to use equipment and how to get started. Take advantage of all the free services you can and take notes on the exercises they show you.
Don’t limit your indoor exercise to the traditional “gym.” Community centers often offer great workout equipment at an affordable price. There are indoor pools to join, aerobics studios, dance classes and even mall-walking clubs (FREE!) to join. Simply find an activity you enjoy, check out the atmosphere (you’ll be more inclined to stick with it if you like the people there) and make a commitment.
As a working mom of two young kids, exercise is all about convenience. There is not a gym conveniently located to us, so we turned part of our basement into a workout area. We spent the money we would have paid for gym memberships on a treadmill, bike trainers (set your outdoor road bike up on one of these inexpensive pieces of equipment), free weights and some yoga/aerobics videos. Having different equipment helps annihilate boredom and cross training is key to getting in great shape.
Be creative. Some days I just don’t feel like yet another treadmill workout. When I feel the need for a change, I often borrow exercise DVD’s from the local library or trade with friends. I scour through fitness magazines for new weight lifting and circuit training routines to break the monotony. I also have an addiction to Redbox movies and books on CD (free at the public library) to get me through treadmill and stationary bike workouts.
Have a goal. Your exercise goal shouldn’t be about pounds lost. It should be an achievable fitness goal. A great goal is to train for a 5K – local charity walk/runs abound and are a great motivating force. Start small with your goals. Maybe you can only make it through five minutes of an exercise video now. Make your goal to make it a little further every time. Before you know it, you’ll be moving on to more advanced videos.
Be realistic. Some days it’s nearly impossible to squeeze it all in. On those days, I’ll spend about 15 minutes before I get in the shower jumping rope, doing jumping jacks or just stretching – anything to get my body moving.
I am so excited about our new product. While I’d like to be more green, I admit that I am not always the best. I am getting better, but I know there are a lot of things I could and should be doing to reduce my impact on the environment. That said, know that I think that the sustainability aspect of CardioTabs new Ocean Safe Omega-3 is terrific. But, it’s the little things that excite me the most. Little things like taste and purity. When the softgels first arrived in our offices for us to test, I was very hesitant to bite into the softgel. I’ve had fish oil softgels break before and the fishy smell is no picnic. Prepared for the worst, I hesitantly bit down on the softgel and lo and behold it tasted good. All I could taste was citrus berry. The oil didn’t even feel “oily” going down like liquid fish oil does. (I can’t stand to swallow liquid fish oil, either.) I’m going to have my kids try it tonight. I’m so eager to see how it goes. I have not been able to find a good high-DHA formula that my kids will take more than once. CardioTabs Ocean Safe Omega-3 is so clean tasting, I don’t think they’ll notice if I slip it in their milk or juice.
We talk a lot about the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3, and for good reason! However, I thought I’d show everyone an article written by my eye doctor, Dr. Thomas Anderson, of Smithville Eye Center. Omega-3 has terrific benefits for your eye health. I discovered one of the benefits by accident. Several years ago, my contacts were bothering me so badly that I simply stopped wearing them. My eyes were so dry that my contacts were unbearable. Around the same time, I upped my omega-3 fish oil intake. All of a sudden, it didn’t hurt to wear my contacts. I really didn’t relate the two until shortly after that I read a study that linked low DHA intake to dry eyes. It was definitely an “AHA” moment.
Omega-3, and in particular DHA is a vital nutrient for your eyes. Did you know your retinas are made of DHA (so is a large portion of your brain)? (No wonder they put so much of it in infant formula – help those developing eyes – and brains). Download Dr. Anderson’s article below.
By Michelle Kruse
Soon, the beautiful fall color will give way to winter and sometimes, the winter blues. Just as the lack of direct sunlight in fall and winter causes the leaves to stop producing chlorophyll, change color and fall from the trees, the sun’s absence has a direct effect on you. In autumn and winter, when the sun’s rays are weak and days are short, our bodies can’t synthesize enough vitamin D. In fact, if you live north of 37 degrees latitude (around Atlanta, GA), it is impossible for you to get enough vitamin D from the sun. Nearly half of all Americans are Vitamin D deficient, and not surprisingly, those numbers increase significantly during the fall and winter. Those with darker skin and those who are obese are even more likely to be Vitamin D deficient. Inadequate vitamin D levels can severely impact not only your mood (giving you the winter blahs), but also increase your risk for a variety of serious health conditions.
The latest studies show that most Americans need at least 1,000 IU per day of Vitamin D to get their blood levels of this crucially important nutrient into the adequate range, and the cardiologists at CardioTabs recommend 2,000 IU per day. According to Dr. James O’Keefe, Preventive Cardiologist and unpaid Medical Director of CardioTabs, “Restoring Vitamin D levels to normal will improve blood pressure and glucose levels, and may reduce risks for heart failure and heart attacks.”
My dad spent the day in the cath lab today. A failed stress test sent him there. Fortunately, his angiogram showed that his blockage was in a very small vein and that it could be treated with medication only. He had triple bypass surgery twelve years ago and angioplasty several years before that. I was just 14 years old when we got the middle of the night telephone call that he was headed home from a business trip via medical helicopter suffering from a heart attack.
I’m certainly no medical expert, but thanks to my job, I do know a bit about heart health/procedures/treatment, etc. I fielded a lot of questions from my family and friends about what my dad was having done today. What a help this video was.
It’s comforting to know exactly what’s going on behind the closed doors to the cardiac catheterization lab. I wish I would have had something like this to watch 20 years ago.
Sometimes people ask me why I care so much about diet and how I can love exercise so much. My dad is part of my motivation. He was just 42 when he had his first heart attack. I want to do all that I can to make sure that doesn’t happen to me.
You’ve heard the buzz: get more omega-3 . These days, just about anything can be fortified with omega-3. But, how much do you really need and what type? There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids, and while they’re all healthy choices, not all omega-3 fats provide the same benefits to your body. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fats found in fish. DHA and EPA have been found to provide the most benefit to cardiovascular health. DHA and EPA may also play a role in brain health and DHA in particular may benefit fetal development and perinatal health and eye health. Benefits from plant-based omega-3, or ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), found in flaxseeds and walnuts, are not as great because the body converts only a small portion of ALA into DHA and EPA. Omega-3 enriched foods often contain small amounts of ALA only.
To read more about the benefits of different omega-3, download our article and get the facts!
