Thanksgiving recipes

Just a few Thanksgiving experiments that I found to try....

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Health and Fitness Academy.

30 days to build endurance....

30 days to building endurance

How does your body build endurance? Endurance has almost always been synonymously linked to cardio vascular fitness. Although we need endurance to perform in events such as marathons and ironman’s we have learned that endurance is also needed to function at our peak on the weight floor and the cross fit gym also. In fact, as we age, most find it more rewarding to finish an ironman then bench press their own weight. This is most likely because endurance training gives us other desired results. Good Cardiovascular conditioning is like the fountain of youth, we age slower and maintain a higher level of functionality into our retirement. In addition as our body ages it is not a susceptible to injury during endurance activities.

Cardiovascular performance has been based on three main factors

1) Heart rate (how many times your heart beats per minute)

2) Stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped per heartbeat)

3) Heart contractility (the forcefulness of each actual contraction of your heart muscle)

All three factors turn our focus to the heart but there are other ways to improve your endurance.

As your muscles contract during exercise they push the blood back toward the heart, this is called Pre-load. Preload actually enhances the heart’s stroke volume during exercise, making adequate contraction and strength of your skeletal muscle a major determinant of your endurance performance.

Another way to improve endurance is to build mitochondrial density. Mitochondria are the powerhouses or your cells they use oxygen to create ATP which is the power you need to do anything. Both HITT and resistance training help increase the number you have and how efficient they are. All of which improve both how much oxygen arrives at the muscles through your blood and how much oxygen your muscle cells remove from the blood before sending it on back to your heart.

I have attached a 4 week program built to increase your ability to perform for endurance.

HITT Cardiovascular- Hill repeats can be performed on the bike or treadmill by increasing resistance and or incline. After performing a warm up and stretching, alternate between 60 seconds at a sprint with 120 seconds at a moderate pace. Repeat the interval until 20 minutes is up and or you can no longer continue.

Steady State-Complete 45-60 minutes at a moderate pace.

Strength Lower body- Complete 4-8 lower body exercises focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and calves. 4 sets of each with 13-20 repetitions in each set.

Strength Upper body- Complete 4-8 Upper body exercises focusing on the chest, back, bicep, triceps, and shoulders.4 sets of each with 13-20 repetitions in each set.

Make sure to keep track of the workouts, exercises you choose and weight increases throughout the month in your exercise log. After a week of complete rest from the program you may want to repeat it for further gains.

Good luck and do not forget to send your feed back into ghouston@mvhospital.net, I would love to celebrate your win with you.

Rest and Digest

SLEEP…HOW IMPORTANT IS IT REALLY?

Why is sleep important? Does it really matter if you only get 6 hours of sleep per night instead of 7 or 8? What happens if you get more than 8 hours of sleep? Can sleep help you lose weight? Can sleep prevent you from getting sick?

According to the National Institute of Health, “sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.”

It makes sense when you look at the effects of sleep deprivation!

But what constitutes sleep deprivation? How many hours of sleep do you really need? Check out the following recommended sleep chart provided by the National Sleep Foundation.

As an adult 25-64 years old, writing this article, I should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. Can you imagine if I am deficient even 1 hour a night? That’s 7 hours per week, 28-31 hours per month, 365 hours a year!

But wait…if sleep deprivation contributes to all of these negative health issues, then more MUST be better, right?! Well, actually, NO. According to www.webmd.com, “oversleeping has been linked to a host of medical problems as well, including diabetes, heart disease, and increased risk of death”.

Getting the right amount of sleep does seem to be very important to our health so why is the majority of the population sleep deprived. According to Precision Nutrition, there are typically 2 reasons (both we can control), why we have poor sleep.

1. We stay up late on purpose.
     a. Voluntary bedtime delay such as watching TV, going out with friends, overbooking our days, reading a book and more.
2. We have a poor sleep ritual.
     a. Good sleep doesn’t just magically happen. You need time to transition from a busy day and relaxation.

How do you go about changing this? Precision Nutrition recommends the following 11 tips for a great night sleep.

1. Decide on a bedtime in advance and start planning for it 1-2 hours in advance.

2. Limit your caffeine to the morning with no caffeinated beverages after 2pm.

3. 1-2 hours before bed, take out a piece of paper and do a brain dump.

4. Turn off all electronic screens (TV, computer, electronic readers…etc) an hour before bed.

5. Make yourself some decaf tea, listen to soft music and read something light.

6. Turn off all gadgets and put them in another room.

7. Set your bedroom temperature to 67-70°F.

8. Take an Epsom salts bath before bed.

9. Dim the lights. Darken your bedroom.

10. Try some white noise.

11. Developing a sleep ritual can take time. Continue the behaviors even if the outcome of sleep takes longer to come around.

I hope these tips are helpful in your quest to find better sleep. Stay tuned for next time to learn what to do when sleep rituals are not enough.



Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1

hearley@mvhospital.net

Halloween Candy - Balance it Out!

Now that the Halloween events of trick or treating are over, let’s talk about the candy. More specifically, let’s talk about how to balance out the candy that you have, or will consume. All foods, including candy, are filled with calories, and all calories count. Here’s a quick glimpse into how many calories are in some of the popular, fun size, Halloween candy packages.

3 Musketeers: 63 calories            100 Grand: 95 calories                      Almond Joy: 80 calories

Baby Ruth: 85 calories                   Butterfinger: 85 calories               Charleston Chew: 30 calories

Dots: 70 calories                               Heath Bar: 77 calories               Hershey’s Bar: 67 calories

Jelly Belly’s: 35 calories                      Kit Kat: 70 calories                  M&M’s (Plain): 73 calories

M&M’s (Peanut): 90 calories      M&M’s (Peanut Butter): 95 calories      Milk Duds: 40 calories

Milky Way: 80 calories                   Milky Way Dark: 81 calories                 Mike & Ike: 50 calories

Mounds: 80 calories                       Mr. Goodbar: 90 calories                        Nerds: 50 calories

Nestle Crunch: 60 calories           Pay Day: 90 calories                                Raisinets: 67 calories

Reese’s PB Cup: 110 calories      Reese’s NutRageous: 95 calories              Skittles: 80 calories

Snickers: 80 calories                 Snickers (Peanut Butter): 130 calories   SweeTarts: 10 calories

Take 5: 100 calories                         Twix: 80 calories                           Whoppers: 100 calories

York Peppermint Pattie: 60 calorie

 

Now that we know how many calories are in candy we ate, or will soon eat, we need to know how to balance out those calories. To balance out those calories, we need to burn those calories. That being said, let’s look into the calories that are burned during different exercises and types of physical activity. These examples are just that though, examples. Examples to show you how long it would take, and what you would have to do to burn off the calories you consumed. These examples are based on a 150 pound person. Exercise is not a “one size fits all” so you would need to adjust the calories burned for your current weight.

Let’s start with walking. Walking at a brisk pace of about 4 miles per hour for 20 minutes will burn about 117 calories. That means you could burn off Raisinets and some Mike & Ikes in those 20 minutes.

What about walking up and down some stairs, which could be done at home or at work on a break? Walking up and down stairs for 15 minutes would burn about 137 calories. During those 15 minutes, that means you could just about burn off a Take 5 and Milk Duds.

15 minutes of Calisthenics such as sit-ups, jumping jacks, knee lifts, lunges, and squats also burn about 137 calories. That could burn off plain M&M’s and a 3 Musketeer.

Cardio machines such as an elliptical, stationary bike, or treadmill at a fast pace can burn close to 200 calories in 15 to 20 minutes. Doing this could burn off a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a Pay Day.                

Now that you know how long it can take to burn off just 2 small Halloween treats, plan ahead before you eat your treats so you know what you will have to do to negate it!

You can specifically calculate how many calories you burn, based on your weight, for different exercises. Multiply your weight by the number below to find out how many calories you can burn, per minute, of that specific type of exercise. The third column in the table below will tell you how many calories a 150 pound person would burn, per minute.

Bicycling (5.5 mph)	.029	4.35
Jumping Rope (70 jumps per minute)	.074	11.1
Running (8-minute mile)	.095	14.25
Squats	.096	14.4
Swimming, crawl, slow	.058	8.7
Walking, normal pace, asphalt road	.036	5.4
Weight training, free weights	.039	5.85
Weight training, circuit training	.042	6.3

We all know that the holiday season, from Halloween to the New Year is when most people gain weight. The extra weight gain can be contributed to the little treats here and there, the bite of this here and a bite of that there. To avoid this extra weight gain, start with negating the extras you are eating with a little extra exercise. Use the calculations above to determine what you need to do in order to keep yourself balanced!

Until next time,

Miranda Harris

mharris@mvhospital.net

Trick or Treat

As Halloween approaches and this blog hangs over my head. I feel the chill on my skin wondering what will come out of my head, through my fingers and onto this page. Fear is starting to set in as the week draws to an end and I haven’t touched the keyboard til now. Will something crazy or creepy make its way out of my head and into the dark spaces of the internet and find its way to you?  We are about to find out!

Wait, a black cat just crossed in front of me…I hope this goes well. What’s up? Where did that blasted ladder come from that has now caused me to drop my pocket mirror?  I’m starting to really wonder if anything is going to go my way tonight. I just saw a decoration of a spider…ewww sick…that reminded me of when I had to trap an actual tarantula and save my roommate, because it was climbing on her pillow while she slept. Ouch!  I thought horseshoes were supposed to be lucky and now I think I have a broken toe. Wouldn’t ya know it, just my luck, the pizza I ordered is $13!!  I think I should just stop now, go climb in bed and hide under my pillow and wait for a better day.  If better days are even out there!

Do you ever feel like this is your existence? Bad luck everywhere you turn?  Do you experience fear that creeps in whether it’s real or imagined, that starts to overtake your life? This Halloween season seemed like a good time to take a look at some of the freaky things going on in our minds and how we respond to them.

So, what ghoulish thoughts are lurking around in your heads?  When they appear what do you do with them? Are they taking up valuable space where more angelic thoughts could be playing peacefully? Are you allowing spooky things from the past to stop you in your tracks? Are you frozen with fear thinking about the future and creating monsters that don’t even exist, except in your mind?

As we pass through this Halloween, look inside your goodie bucket and see if it is full of tricks disguised as fear or treats that will take you closer to your goals.  Look at what lurks inside your closets, open the doors and let those skeletons go – forever.  Lean into the fear of cleaning out those cobwebbed corners and creating spaces full of creative energy. Hang up that horseshoe and realize you are luckier than you think and start moving towards gratitude and all the great things that are coming your way.

You have a choice to live in fear or joy. You have a choice to choose positivity over negativity.

Trick or treat…the choice is yours.

Quick, smash that spider. Seriously!

Go BE Great!

Jennifer Saunders

BS, ACE, Reiki, ButtinGear

Healthy Recipes from HFA

Healthy dinner ideas are hard to come by... 

                    Try this out!! easy....warm....and ready for the family to eat during our busy evenings. Add on a dark green vegetable and slice up at apple.....done!!

Stop chasing...

           Cardio…….you can’t get

         anywhere chasing a bad diet.

There is one simple truth that I have learned about cardiovascular training. It is this; no matter how hard you run or bike or swim toward your goals, if you are chasing a bad diet at the same time the road will be slow and frustrating.

 I read an old saying this week that said “A man who chases two rabbits, catches neither.”  Top performers in all sports spend just as much time, if not more on their nutrition training as their physical workouts. Weight loss clients consistently make the mistake of thinking that they can spend more time in the gym instead of tracking their food and controlling the impulse to eat without thought.  Diets high in calorically dense foods are not as healthy as diets high in nutritional density, knowing the difference can make or break a program and directly affect the results you get. Forty mile training rides will feel much different when they are preceded by good nutritional choices over fasting or junk food.

                How do you know if you have a bad diet? There are a few ways to tell. Does your diet cut out entire food groups? No fat and No Carb diets have become very popular lately. But there are important reasons that we need these types of calories. Carbohydrates are fuel for the brain, without then we become foggy, slow, and see loss on memory. Fats are directly linked to our hormones which control everything from reproduction to important brain and fat storage receptors (http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/why-science-matters/fats_effect_on_the_brain).

                Do you lose weigh on your plan? Even the smallest amount of weight a week can be encouraging, but if you are not seeing the scale move in a positive direction that can be a motivation killer and encourage more bad food habits if it feels hopeless.

                Is your Diet plan too easy? Does everything you eat come from a package? Some people can eat prepackaged foods and learn what a health portion looks like, while others can’t. When you eventually fall off the plan it can make it increasingly hard to want to start again when the food is uninteresting. Also, what do you do doing those inevitable life events like holidays and a friends birthday party? What have you learned about handling those high pressure moments?

                Does your diet allow you to share time with family and friends? A diet that your family cannot follow will make food preparation twice as tough. Many times in our life we eat because others are hungry. If your office goes to lunch because Sarah is hungry, often you will find yourself eating off your program. These moments with your family and friends are an important to our mental wellbeing and any program should allow for them and prepare you to stay on track while you participate.

                And finally, does your Diet leave you hungry, or grumpy? A nutritional program can be hard, especially if your goal is weight loss. But it should not be torturous. If you find your mood swinging from one extreme to another or just hanging out in the dumps you could be getting too few carbohydrates. You could be feeling denied too many joys. Nutrition experts suggest a small amount of dark chocolate daily as a treat. It will be much easier to fend off binges if you have a few go to treats that are allowed without guilt.  

                If you are not seeing the results your thing you should from the gym, maybe it is time to take a look at what you are putting in the gas tank. We cannot ask great things from our bodies without giving it the building blocks it needs to do the job. 

To find out how to develop a good nutritional plan that compliments your training plan the trainers here at Health and Fitness Academy are always available to help. Contact us at 208-557-2823 or email me at ghouston@mvhospital.net. Make it a great day.