One way to take control of the stress in your life is through physical activity. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries.
You know that exercise does your body good, but you’re too busy and stressed to fit it into your routine. Hold on a second – there’s good news when it comes to exercise and stress.
Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, can act as a stress reliever. If you’re not an athlete or even if you’re downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. Discover the connection between exercise and stress relief – and why exercise should be part of your stress management plan.
Stress relief benefits of exercise:
-It pumps up your endorphins
-It’s meditation in motion
-It improves your mood
-Makes you set some goals
SPRING SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAMY ORANGE-AVOCADO DRESSING
Serves 2
Fresh spring fruits and veggies deserve respect and good company. This simple salad takes care of both and can add a wow factor to any meal. Feeling fancy? Drop the raw sliced asparagus into ice water for a minute or two and it will curl into ribbons. In a hurry? Cut the asparagus into thin coins instead. In the dressing, the avocado provides its natural healthy fats for smooth and creamy results. Nobody will know it’s a health-promoting, no-oil-added dressing!
Ingredients
3 green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 ounces spring greens or mesclun mix
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
Method
Puree green onions, avocado, juice, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth to make a dressing. In a large bowl, toss greens, strawberries and asparagus together. Transfer to plates, drizzle with half the dressing and serve. Extra dressing will keep one day refrigerated.
Nutrition
Per serving: 120 calories (35 from fat), 4g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 170mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 4g protein
What you eat before and after exercise has a huge impact on your results.
Think about that.
You could be doing intense workouts, pushing yourself hard in the gym, but then eating all the wrong foods that keep your body looking the same.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to put in all that effort in the gym, I certainly don’t want my results hijacked by poor nutrition.
Transforming your body comes down to two simple parts: 1) consistent, challenging exercise and 2) balanced, proper nutrition.
When you skip on the balanced, proper nutrition, you cheat yourself out of the sculpted physique that you should have.
The food you eat prior to and following exercise plays a key role in the overall success of your workout. What you eat and when you eat can either help you burn more calories and build more muscle or it can hinder your weight-loss and muscle-mass goals.
Here’s how it works. Your body gets energy from the carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose, and unused glucose is then converted to glycogen, which is stored in your liver and muscles.
During intense exercise, your body uses up this stored energy. Not having a store of energy, your body can’t function at its potential.
Healthy pre- and post-workout foods provide your body with the glycogen needed to fuel your muscles during aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Pre-Workout Fuel. Many people find that exercising first thing in the morning works best for their schedule. For some, this means heading to the gym on an empty stomach. Unfortunately, when you exercise with your body’s “gas tank” on empty, your body will start to take the amino acids from your muscles and convert them to the glucose you need for energy.
Therefore, instead of burning fat, you may actually break down your muscle!
This is the opposite of what you want to do.
In order to burn fat, you need to fuel up with something nutritious an hour to an hour and a half before working out. This gives your body enough time to digest the food and make the energy available for exercising.
Good examples of healthy pre-workout meals or snacks to give your body the energy it needs to exercise include high-fiber cereal with skim milk, a two- to three-ounce turkey breast, a low sugar energy bar, banana, poached egg with whole-wheat toast and grapefruit, or a lean turkey burger.
Don’t have time to eat a meal before exercising? You still need to eat something. A quick way to give your body immediate energy is to eat a simple carbohydrate such as fruit or juice in a protein drink or shake 15 to 30 minutes prior to working out. And avoid heavy meals before exercising, as these large meals may slow you down and make you feel sluggish during your routine.
The combination of food to eat before a workout should contain complex and simple carbohydrates, fiber, and low-fat protein to give you energy, keep you feeling full, and help regulate a normal blood sugar level. Try to make sure each pre-workout meal or snack contains this combination of nutrients. Not having the right amount of carbs for energy will hinder your ability to burn calories, build muscle, and exercise to your full potential.
Replenish Post-workout. The goal of post-workout nutrition is to help muscles rebuild and strengthen following the stress and loss of glycogen they experience during exercise. To replenish energy stores, your muscles need protein and carbohydrates within half an hour to an hour and a half following exercise.
Examples of a post-workout snacks and meals include a four- to six-ounce turkey breast and brown rice, a green salad with grilled chicken, or a smoothie with fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt.
This month here at Bounce Fitness, we’re focusing on not just love, but loving yourself & your body. So we have prepared a lovely 3-course dinner menu that you can cook up for either your significant other or yourself! Not only is it very healthy, but hearty and delicious. On the menu is: Buttermilk-Herb Mashed Potatoes, Pacific Sole with Oranges and Pecans and Baby Tiramisù. Recipes are courtesy of www.eatingwell.com
Buttermilk-Herb Mashed Potatoes
2 servings Active Time:Total Time:
INGREDIENTS
1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Place potato in a small saucepan and cover with water. Add garlic. Bring to a boil; cook until the potato is tender. Drain; add butter and buttermilk, and mash with a potato masher to the desired consistency. Stir in herbs. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
NUTRITION
Per serving: 85 calories; 2 g fat ( 1 g sat , 0 g mono ); 5 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 87 mg sodium; 416 mg potassium.
Pacific Sole with Oranges & Pecans
2 servings Active Time:Total Time:
INGREDIENTS
1 orange
10 ounces Pacific sole, (see Note) or tilapia fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted (see Cooking Tip)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
PREPARATION
Using a sharp paring knife, remove the skin and white pith from orange. Hold the fruit over a medium bowl and cut between the membranes to release individual orange sections into the bowl, collecting any juice as well. Discard membranes, pith and skin.
Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt and pepper. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the fillets and cook 1 minute for sole or 3 minutes for tilapia. Gently flip and cook until the fish is opaque in the center and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes for sole or 3 to 5 minutes for tilapia. Divide between 2 serving plates; tent with foil to keep warm.
Add butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 30 seconds. Add vinegar and the orange sections and juice; loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Spoon the sauce over the fish and sprinkle each portion with pecans and dill. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
TIPS & NOTES
Ingredient Note: The term “sole” is widely used for many types of flatfish from both the Atlantic and Pacific. Flounder and Atlantic halibut are included in the group that is often identified as sole or grey sole. The best choices are Pacific, Dover or English sole. Other sole and flounder are overfished.
Cooking Tip: To toast chopped nuts or seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
NUTRITION
Per serving: 234 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 70 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 28 g protein; 2 g fiber; 401 mg sodium; 556 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value); Calcium (20% dv).
Baby Tiramisu Recipe
6 servings Active Time:Total Time:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese, (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 ladyfingers, (about 1 3/4 ounces)
4 tablespoons brewed espresso, or strong coffee, divided
2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips, melted (see Tip)
PREPARATION
Combine ricotta, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Place 6 ladyfingers in a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Spread the ricotta mixture over the ladyfingers. Place another layer of ladyfingers over the ricotta and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
TIPS & NOTES
Tip: To melt chocolate: Microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium in 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Or place in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.
NUTRITION
Per serving: 107 calories; 2 g fat ( 1 g sat , 0 g mono ); 3 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 0 g fiber; 125 mg sodium; 29 mg potassium.
Catherine Ziegler is not new to the stress of life. Three years ago, the businesswoman was constantly traveling to cover her sales territory of 22 states. After constant stress, something had to give. “My health started to suffer,” she says. “I knew I needed to do something.” Ziegler ditched the corporate world to become a holistic health counselor and NASM-certified personal trainer.
Now, she owns Crave Health, a San Francisco health counseling business, where she helps clients overcome the problems she once faced. Now, Ziegler understands the close connection between diet and the stress levels she previously experienced. “Both diet and lifestyle plays a huge part in stress management,” she says. “When you have unbalanced eating, it really perpetuates stress.”
The unbalance typically comes from consuming too many unrefined carbohydrates and sugar, Ziegler says. Instead, she suggests people eat whole grains, vegetables, seafood and low-sugar items. These foods can help control blood-sugar levels, which Ziegler says can perpetuate stress by creating mood shifts. “When someone eats something refined or with sugar, they get this immediate lift,” she says. “But because your blood sugar has been spiked, you get that high euphoria and then you come crashing down and it starts all over.
You get this drastic up and down cycle in your body that creates even more stress.” Registered Dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix** says the body metabolizes high-sugar foods very quickly, leading to the crash. “Carbohydrate-type foods raise the brain’s feel-good chemical called serotonin,” she says.
Protein, on the other hand, provides a sustained source of energy that will keep moods even. Taub-Dix states, “When you consume foods that are protein oriented, they stimulate the release of other chemicals that are called epinephrine to make you feel more alert or stimulated.” viagra to Taub-Dix, “The best thing to do to alleviate stress is to have a combined meal or snack, including some protein and complex carbohydrates. The carbohydrates make you feel good and give you energy but the protein is a much longer lasting source of nutrients.” “When people are stressed out, they’re probably not thinking about how the donut and coffee they’re grabbing might affect their mood and stress levels,” Ziegler says.
Strike out the stressors: How to draft a stress-free diet
The foods you and your clients are consuming may be making life a bit more stressful. Instead of encouraging stress, use these tips, provided by Holistic Health Counselor Catherine Ziegler and Registered Dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix , to lead a more even and regulated life.
Stock up on minerals. “When someone is stressed, they’re burning through all of their mineral stores,” Ziegler says. “Any minerals they are consuming, they’re using them up really quickly because the body needs something to keep moving forward. So dark leafy green vegetables like kale, Swiss chard and bok choy would be great things to include, not just in salads but sautéing them with eggs in the morning.”
Don’t skip meals. “Skipping meals could end up making you feel very tense, irritable and weak,” Taub-Dix says. “You can actually create stress, rather than alleviate it.” She suggests eating small portions throughout the day
Include high-quality protein in every meal. “Protein is so important for someone who’s stressed out. Eat it, ideally, at three meals a day and at two snacks because protein will really keep the blood sugar levels even, and the last thing a stressed out person needs is to have their blood sugar level all over the place,” she says. Ziegler recommends clients eat almonds, organic dairy, fish and poultry as sources of protein.
Curb cravings for sugar and refined carbs. “What I like to suggest in its place is whole grains like brown rice, quinoa or millet or sweet vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes because they have a sweet taste but they don’t shoot your blood sugar out of the water. Also, choosing natural sweeteners like agave nectar instead of sugar,” she says. “An example of a snack might be a gluten-free cracker with some almond butter on it. If someone wants the sweet effect, they can just drizzle it with agave nectar.”
Eat combination meals. Taub-Dix says, “The ideal combination is putting together some protein and carbohydrates so you have the blood sugar levels but you also have the smoother disposition.”
Overcome fat phobia. “When we include healthy fats over trans fats, that would be another thing they could do,” Ziegler says. “A trans fat might be margarine, but instead they could include unrefined coconut oil, olive oil or avocados.”
Don’t forget about drinks. “Fake beverages like coffee, soda, alcohol and energy drinks give you that boost up the roller coaster, but those are all temporary. People always reach for the Red Bull or Diet Coke with caffeine, when really they could choose water, green tea, even some vegetable juices,” she says.
Part of the fitness movement is understanding the foods our clients eat and the choices in the grocery store that our clients face. The more our clients move towards a viagra lifestyle, the more we are constantly challenged with questions on health and nutrition – these questions include many of the health fads that have pervaded the supermarkets. One such movement is the shift towards eating “organic”. With so many food labels marketing their organic products, what exactly is organic and what do you need to know to help your clients enjoy healthy and nutritious meals?
Organic food is grown without use of pesticides, genetically modified and chemically created ingredients. This heavily regulated industry aims to protect food from harmful, unnatural ingredients by keeping the soil healthy, says Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for the Organic Consumers Association.
In 1994, the dairy industry introduced the first genetically modified product – milk. Since then, Mayer says, “We are all part of an uncontrolled experiment to see what’s going to happen to us as we age and become reproductive.” Mayer says animals that are fed these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) give off unhealthy offspring and are sometimes infertile. The effects of GMOs on humans are uncertain at this time. However, research has shown that use of Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) is connected to IGF-1, which elevates risk of cancer, Mayer says. But harmful GMOs are not only found in meat byproducts. “We consume a lot of GMOs,” Mayer says. “High fructose corn syrup and soybean oils are in almost all processed foods.”
By eating organic food, people can avoid these chemical ingredients, Mayer says. “There are enormous benefits to detoxifying one’s body by avoiding pesticides, genetically modified ingredients and chemically created ingredients like high fructose corn syrup,” she says. Eating organic also ensures that the soil used to grow crops is healthy and pure. Farmers must manage their soil organically for three years before receiving certification. “When you eat organic you avoid the fossil fuel fertilizers. You avoid fertilizers made with human and animal waste that could be laden with pathogens and not treated properly before it’s put on a crop,” she says. Essentially, healthy soil creates a healthy crop. “You pull nutrition from food out of the soil it’s grown in,” she says. “You need healthy soil to have maximum vitamin content.” Whether apples or soy, organic crops deliver unaltered ingredients. But, Mayer says, shoppers must understand basic dietary principles that create a healthy diet.
As organic products reach the masses, appealing junk foods have been slapped with the organic label, which may mislead uninformed consumers.”We’ve seen a change in the organic movement,” Mayer says. “It used to be a health food movement, but now that it’s gone mainstream, you see all kinds of things in the grocery store that are certified organic and are coming from organic ingredients.” It’s important for consumers to remember that the organic label doesn’t necessarily equate health. “You can’t say a bag of organic potato chips is power food,” Mayer says. “Once you turn something into a potato chip, it loses most of its nutritional value.”
Learn the labels
Forget “all natural.” Consumers should enter grocery store aisles with knowledge of the different types of organic labels. Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for the Organic Consumers Association, helps NASM PRO decode the three types of organic labels. “It’s definitely best to look for the USDA organic seal,” Mayer says.
USDA seal – 95 percent or more organic “If you’re buying all USDA organic food, you’re doing pretty good. In comparison to other things that are in the grocery store, you can have confidence in the organic label.”
“Made with organic” – 75 percent or more organic “The next best thing is ‘Made with organic.’ You can’t guarantee that the functional ingredients are organic. It’s much less preferable.”
Back label organic – minor organic ingredients “If you’re shopping at 7-11 because you’re road tripping, you can pick up this kind of item to support the organic movement.”
The average person needs professionals such as dietitians and nutritionists to help pinpoint the many definitions of junk food—and how they apply to them. Diane Henderiks, a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) and personal chef with offices in New Jersey, helps clear the line between healthy and regular junk food by focusing on the basics. She looks at food itself.The more minimized the ingredient list, the more likely the product is better for you. But is there such a thing as healthy junk food?
“It depends on what peoples’ connotation of junk food is,” explains Diane. You may have seen Diane during the health segment on “Good Morning America” or her “Healthy Bites with Diane Henderiks” pieces on the New Jersey News12 channel. Diane’s tagline “Dietitian in the Kitchen” is as memorable as her passion for healthy eating habits and living.
“Of course you can have healthy potato chips and can have healthy French fries if you consider that junk food,” Diane continued. “Most people think of salty or sweet when they think of junk food.”
Diane considers the addition of preservatives as the line between food and junk food. She includes extra salt, refined products, and processed products on her warning list of any food form—salad or junk.
One step further, Diane advises control of your food. “The more you create your own and cook yourself, obviously the better”. Instead of defining food made by others, define your own food. Make your own junk food. Keep your ingredients clean, simple, and add your own “salty” or “sweeter” to core items—such as adding honey or fresh fruit to low fat yogurt.
Some of your clients will be able to follow this advice and make their own healthy junk food that can offset temptations for “bad junk food”. Unfortunately, many of your clients barely have the time to maintain this type of food planning and preparation schedule. As a traveling professional, Diane understands this dilemma and offers tips for your hungry clients caught in a pinch:
Keep the ingredients simple (core ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, etc.).
If hunger drives you to a convenience store, find the shortest ingredient list possible—a bag of peanuts—to help you through your hunger predicament.
If your choice is only energy bars or a similar snack;
Avoid hydrogenated oils
Make sure sugar is at the bottom of the ingredient list (if present at all)
Look for honey as a substitute for sugar
Choose whole grains
Generally refer to the adage “if you are unable to pronounce the ingredient, you shouldn’t eat it.”
Take your “home” philosophy on the road when you travel for business or pleasure. While you can never control the food environment while traveling, prepare yourself with your own snacks and scope out the area in advance for grocery stores that can provide healthier ingredients than room service.
Your mission as a health and fitness professional would be easier if you could be present for a client’s daily decisions in health, but this is also not a reality. In preparing to make their own healthy junk food or looking for alternatives at the store, you can still help direct a client to healthier decisions by guiding them through the grocery store aisles.
Navigating the Grocery Store Aisles
Advise your clients to stay on the perimeter of stores where healthier choices are available to the customer. This is where the fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, dairy, meats, and many other core foods are available to make your own meals, snacks, and indulgent creations. As much as possible, these core foods should be purchased from a local source. An apple that was fully ripened on a tree, picked and sold within a few days will rival any candy bar sitting on a shelf. Clients can use the sweetness of local fruit to turn peanut butter into a healthy and satisfying treat.
What about the middle aisles of a grocery store? Start with advising your clients that the ingredient and nutrition section of the package is the only important area to study—especially the serving size. Educational websites that provide food labels for review, such as Calorie Count (http://caloriecount.about.com/foods), can help prepare your client while walking the middle aisles. Stay focused on the same principles that Diane advises in making your own food; simple, clean, and pronounceable.
The frozen food section can lead to dangerous decisions on quick meals. Advise your clients to steer clear of this section except for frozen vegetables and fruit. If looking for a cold treat on a hot day, substituting frozen fruit for ice cream or selecting single serving sized soy treats will help offset heavy junk food. If your client simply “needs” ice cream, tell them to find a store that sells small cups to avoid leftovers tempting them at home.
The bulk food section can be a fun and creative way to make your own healthy junk food. Bins of flax seed, dried fruit, nuts, and even dark chocolate chips will help entice the “mad genius” in your client to quickly make their own trail mix. Some bulk sections have premade mixes to save time, but make sure your client reads the label before diving into the bin.
The snack food section comes in many forms:
Salty – Limited ingredients are very important, so avoid added “cheese” or other flavorings. Baked chips, pretzels, nuts, or popcorn are better choices in these aisles. Your clients should be wary of sodium contents.
Solid Sweets – If your clients are unable to avoid these aisles, direct them to dark chocolate without unnecessary ingredients. Fruit or spice additions to dark chocolate bars can help add dimension to their treat. Avoid high fructose corn syrup products.
Liquid Sweets – Tell your clients to run away from these aisles. Fruit juices with added sugar, soft drinks, and other products in this area are empty calories and do not help satisfy hunger. If they need colored liquids, advise them to find fruit juices without added sugar and add sparkling water to make their own soda.
When it comes to selecting an energy or performance bar—such as Soy Joy, dotBar, or PowerBar—taste is important, but should take a back seat to the ingredients in the bar. Advise your clients to look and compare the numbers including:
Calories per serving (usually the bar itself)
Total and Saturated fat
Sodium
Sugars
Other healthy junk food choices include:
The olive bar
Applesauce
Salsa (look for local products that are fresh and usually without preservatives)
Humus and guacamole dips to satisfy “creamy” cravings
Frozen edamame peas (if unable to cook, look on the shelves for dried peas, but look out for the sodium content)
No-salt chips when using them for salsa or dips
The deli section provides single serving packages of chips if unavoidable
The fresh coffee section usually provides low fat scones
Try all of the butters—peanut, soy, almond
And finally, help your clients maneuver the checkout section where nothing good comes of impulse buys. If your client can promise you anything, have them promise to not buy anything within 10 feet of the checkout counter.
Being in Control – Snacking Tips
Some of Diane’s choices of healthy snacking for everyday, as well as for pre and post workouts, include:
Low fat cheese with apples
Peanut butter with crackers
Avocado with on bread with spices
The old standby of yogurt
She keeps an eye on the carbohydrate/protein balance as well as adding nutrients to fill gaps and aid in exercise. When in an indulgent mood, simply add a sweeter or salty ingredient to satisfy the pleasure-seeker in you.
Diane shares the following quick tips with her clients to help guide healthy snacking:
Think of snacks as the way to assure a balanced, nutrition filled diet. This will help supply missed vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Choose snacks for variety and choose a variety of snack foods within each food group.
Snack when you’re hungry. Skip the urge to nibble when you’re bored, frustrated or stressed. Walk around the block or do another activity instead.
Make snacking a conscious activity. Avoid watching TV or eating absentmindedly.
Eat snacks well ahead of mealtime—for example, 2-3 hours before meals.
Be sure snacks are small portions—for example, 1 serving on the container.
Be aware of the calories of snacks. A rough example would be around 150 calories.
Choose snacks that contain unsaturated fats.
Choose snacks that are nutrient dense and not full of empty calories like simple sugars.
PLAN AHEAD! Keep good stuff on hand at work. Try to avoid vending machines, fast foods and convenience stores where there are many unhealthy options.
As a health and fitness professional, empower your clients to make sound decisions regarding their health in daily activities—including the inevitable snacking on treats. Your guidance will help keep the control of food intake with them and not in the middle aisles of a grocery store.
Can simple changes to lifestyle behaviors help prevent colds and flu? The answer lies in the relationship between the immune system, the foods we eat, and how much we move.
Research exploring the relationship between food and the cold and flu, tends to focus on one of two areas – those foods/nutrients that may support the immune system and help us fight the viruses, and those foods which may make us feel better if we have succumbed.
Immune System and the Nutrient Soldiers
Probably the best studied nutrients that are immunogenic are the antioxidants. A collection of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and other compounds, antioxidants prevent other compounds from becoming oxidized – for example, picture rust on a pipe. Our cells are constantly being exposed to free radicals. A free radical is any atom or molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell, and most biologically-relevant free radicals are highly reactive. In humans, free radical damage is closely associated with oxidative damage. Antioxidants are reducing agents, and they limit oxidative damage to biological structures by making free radicals passive. In this way they stop a chain of oxidation reactions that have been linked to viruses, cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases, even aging.
A comprehensive review article in Canadian Family Physician by Nahas(1) examined the evidence supporting complementary and alternative medicine approaches to treatment and prevention of the common cold in adults. This meta-analysis, which looked at Vitamin C, echinacea, zinc, ginseng, and allicin, found that vitamin C had the largest amount of research supporting its role in preventing the common cold and/or decreasing its severity and duration. The authors concluded that there is moderate evidence supporting the use of Echinacea. However, clinical trial results on Echinacea are difficult to interpret because many test different species and plant parts. Poor research design and manufacturer bias data make it difficult to draw conclusions from the available studies (2). According to Nahas, ginseng is believed to be an “adaptogen,” which enhances an individual’s ability to resist mental and physical stress. In another meta-analysis specific to Ginseng and its ability to prevent colds, the authors concluded that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that ginseng reduces the incidence or severity of common colds. North American ginseng appears to be effective in shortening the duration of colds or acute respiratory infection in healthy adults when taken preventatively for durations of 8-16 weeks. (3).
The phytochemical allicin, found in Garlic, is alleged to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties that relieve the common cold. There is research that supports both: Studies that conclude there may be immuno-benefits to garlic (4) and those that show there is insufficient clinical trial evidence (5). A review article in American Family Physician concludes that small studies have shown that garlic exerts antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites which may provide a modest protection against those bugs that cause or compound the common cold and flu.
Probiotics
Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25%. A meta-analysis of the results of two independent studies showed the risk of catching the common cold was about 2.6 times lower in the yogurt group than in the milk group and the increase of natural killer cell activity was significantly higher in the yogurt group than in the milk group. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease (6).
Move More Stay Well
Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body’s natural virus-killing cells. In a study of more than 1000 adults, the number of days with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) during the 12-week period was reduced 43% in subjects reporting ≥5 days/week aerobic exercise compared to those who were largely sedentary (≤1 day/week). URTI severity and symptomatology were also reduced 32% to 41% between high and low aerobic activity(7). This study and many others, support the hypothesis that moderate levels of physical activity are associated with a reduced risk for URTI.
I just want to feel better!
Sometimes you just can’t avoid catching a bug. While there is considerably less research on nutritional treatment for the cold and flu than prevention, there is a little science behind some of the age-old home remedies.
A glass of juice – Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. Avoid alcohol which makes dehydration worse.
A saltwater gargle – 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water — can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat.
Chicken soup – Chicken soup has long been regarded as a remedy for symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections. Researchers believe that a mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections (8). Perhaps because it contains a mucus-thinning amino acid called cysteine; or that it helps control neutrophils (congestion-causing white cells); or that it just tastes so comforting, chicken soup has been a favorite for more than 800 years!
If you were to look in the dictionary one of the definitions of “habit” states that it is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.Acquired means your client wasn’t born with it and doesn’t have to live with it.
Here are a few examples of bad habits:
Eating junk food
Smoking
Eating unhealthy
Nail biting
Being late
Cracking knuckles
Emotional eating
Bad habits are generally acquired through necessity. People need to find comfortable ways to cope with traumatic, stressful or just plain negative things that happen in life. Bad habits are behaviors learned to help deal with events, and often this is done because the individual may not know or understand how to incorporate healthier options to deal with the situations. For example, a client might eat junk food to deal with anxiety versus taking a deep breath and moving through the anxiety.
Why does a bad habit feel involuntary?
A bad habit feels involuntary because it’s been used as an automated way to cope for an extended period of time. Using the above example, when anxiety surfaces your client will automatically reach for junk food. If eating junk food satisfies the need to cope, the bad habit will continue. It seems automatic, an event will happen and without much conscious thought, a bad habit will follow. This is how people lose their sense of control over the habit. Bad habits are not an inherited trait and your clients have control over whether or not they continue to use bad habits to cope.
How can I reverse bad habits?
You will generally change when you perceive a problem or need for change. Initially you may focus on the difficulty of change and the reasons for not changing may outweigh the reasons for changing. If the problem continues, you will start to see the positive in the reasons for change and begin a plan for that change. Change generally happens slowly. It may start through education, talking to family and friends, or doing some research on options to find alternative behaviors.
It’s difficult to change what’s comfortable and familiar even if it is negative. Many people may not realize (for years) that what they are doing is ‘bad’ or ‘negative’. Once realized, people begin to feel like they don’t have options. They don’t feel like they have any control over the bad habit.
After realizing that change is inevitable, your trainer can help you feel like you have control by providing you with some education on what your options are or who you might talk to (if this is out of their scope of practice). This beginning step will help build your self esteem and begin to help you feel as though you are in control of the situation.
How can I change bad habits?
Bad habits are reversible and one way of reversing them starts with understanding the root cause. You have probably never thought about the root cause and probably have a very good reason for initially eating junk food when you felt anxious, for example. If you want to stop eating junk food, find a better or healthier way to deal with your anxiety. For example, if a better way to deal with your nerves is to take a deep breath, you will need to change that cognitive-behavior link from junk food to taking a deep breath. You will have to remind your brain (over and over) that you are going to use a deep breath rather than eating junk food when you feels anxious. This will take time. Here are a couple of tips to help remind your brain of the change:
Post sticky notes in high stress areas
Place the statement, “deep breath” on your computer and cell phone wall paper
Ask loved ones to remind you during times of anxiety
Seeing, hearing and putting these tips into practice over and over will then start to feel involuntary and will build a new blue print to replace the old blueprint in your brain.
How can I stick to a change of a bad habit?
The key to help you stick to changes is to have a sense of control over what you are doing, when you are doing it, and where. For example, maybe you have anxiety around working out which leads to eating junk food. Your trainer can help you choose a workout you love or something your trainer thinks you’ll grow to love and have fun with. Add in social support such as friends, co-workers or family members to help keep you engaged. Similar to anything new, you need to realize that you are starting off with a sense of newness but those feelings go away; as with anything in life that is new.
Follow that up by asking your trainer to help you set realistic goals to help you stay motivated. Realistic means choosing activities within your capabilities; what can you do that will push you but not so far that you fail and feel unsuccessful. As you find yourself reaching one goal, you’ll find your confidence improving and work harder to reach the next goal.
It is estimated that, by the middle of this century, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will reach approximately 70 million. That is, nearly one in five will be considered elderly. As America’s population ages, it is increasingly faced with the issue of mortality, longevity, and quality of life.
Unfortunately, aging has come to be associated with degeneration and the limited functional ability of the elderly. However, research shows that musculoskeletal degeneration may not be entirely age-related and that certain measures can be taken to prevent functional immobility. Typical forms of musculoskeletal degeneration in the elderly include osteoporosis, arthritis ( osteoarthritis ), low back pain (LBP), and obesity .
While some researchers have demonstrated atrophy of specific musculature among patients who exhibit LBP, others indicate that degeneration of the skeletal structures is not a result or cause of LBP. In addition, obesity is related to a loss or degeneration of muscle mass. In fact, most of these degenerative conditions can be connected to a loss of muscle mass and/or strength in general.
These degenerative processes can lead to a decrease in the functional capacity of the elderly as defined by their strength and proprioceptive responses. Perhaps the most important functional capacity affected is that of walking. The decreased ability to move freely in one’s own environment not only reduces the physical and emotional independence of an individual, it also can lead to an increase in the degenerative cycle.
Many people who exhibit one or more of these degenerative conditions may tend to shy away from known remedies such as resistance training out of fear of injury or feelings of inadequacy.Rather, they opt for convenient forms of relief such as walkers, wheelchairs, or motorized carts. Although valuable tools in their own respect, these may not be the best remedy, or even necessary, and can further facilitate the degenerative process.
It has been demonstrated, however, that many of the structural deficits responsible for decreased functional capacity in the elderly (muscle strength and proprioception ) can be slowed and even reversed.
Function
Function is described as integrated, multidimensional movement that requires proper proprioceptive responses to the environment. Proper proprioceptive responses involve the ability to accelerate, decelerate, and dynamically stabilize forces upon, within, and throughout the body. This ensures proper movement of the affected joints. This was demonstrated in a study on gait analysis by Simoneau and Krebs. They showed that elderly people with a history of falling had a decreased ability to effectively decelerate their momentum near the time their foot touched the ground. Therefore, someone is deemed functional if they possess the ability to perform all daily activities with proper proprioceptive responses (acceleration, deceleration and dynamic stabilization) to their environment.
Function and the Elderly
The ability of the elderly to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL) decreases with age. In 1996, the Administration on Aging (AOA) demonstrated that more than one-third of the elderly population reported limitations resulting from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Furthermore, approximately 14 percent of the elderly population reported difficulty performing ADL, with 21 percent encountering difficulty with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Table 1 lists some of the common ADL and IADL for the elderly:
Table 1
Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
Bathing
Eating
Dressing
Getting around
Preparing meals
Shopping
Managing money
Using the telephone
Doing housework
Taking medication
Many of the chronic health conditions experienced by the elderly result in an inability to effectively move within their environment. With the decreased ability to get around, the elderly often rely upon an artificial means of support (balance) for assistance. This compensation can facilitate their degenerative state in much the same way that a muscle atrophies without use. By not using the body’s own support mechanisms, they begin to shut down, leading to an increased risk of falling.
Areas of Dysfunction
Experts have determined that four distinct musculoskeletal dysfunctions have an effect on proper function in the elderly. As previously discussed, these include osteoporosis, arthritis, LBP, and obesity. Each of these dysfunctions, either independently or together, can have a profound affect on the functional capacity of the elderly.
