Weekly Wellness
Issue 205
Featured Article
Fitness Tip
Make Life Easier on Your Joints
- Avoid placing stress on smaller, more fragile joints by using larger or stronger joints
- Write with a thick pen.
- When getting up from a chair, slide forward to the edge, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Lean forward and push down on the arms or seat of the chair with the palms of your hands.
- Avoid squatting or kneeling.
- When exercising , do not do movements that require you to jerk or bounce.
See also: Joint Troubles.
Source: American Medical Association
Nutrition Tip
A Weekly "Cheat" Day!
Never follow a nutrition plan that does not incorporate great tasting meals that you enjoy -- you will be setting yourself up for failure. Let's face it, none of us can be expected to spend the rest of our lives gnawing away on food that tastes like stale cardboard. We just won't stick to a plan like this. On the same note, we also shouldn't deprive ourselves of our favorite foods for long periods of time. Think about it, what might happen when you tell yourself you cannot have foods like pizza, chocolate, ice cream, etc.? You end up with uncontrollable food cravings that relentlessly haunt you until you give in and binge. Then guilt sets in and you lose self-esteem and self-respect. A better alternative is to incorporate your favorite foods into your eating plan once a week during a "cheat" day. This would be a day when you are free to indulge in a little bit of your favorite foods with zero guilt -- and it gives you something to look forward to, which in turn helps you stay focused the rest of the week.
Herb of the Week
Green Tea
Green Tea enhances immune function. The active ingredients (polyphenols) promote immunity from many different pathogens, including protozoa, viruses and bacteria. Green tea fights free radicals, the chemicals now thought to be the most important cause of cell damage and aging. It is a more potent antioxidant than broccoli, carrots, spinach, or strawberries. Green tea strongly benefits oral health - it kills the bacteria responsible for tooth decay and blocks the attachment of the bacteria associated with dental caries to the teeth. With a host of beneficial effects for the cardiovascular system, it has been shown to balance total cholesterol and LDL, as well as triglycerides, and to support a healthy ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol. See also: Green Tea Increases Metabolism
Quick Recipe
Sun Dried Tomato Pizza
Spread a pre-baked pizza crust with Classico Creations Sun-Dried Tomato sauce and spread (or a similar sauce of choice). Top with part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese and bake according to crust package directions. Serving with suggestion: Caesar salad.
Tidbit(s)
Sip Your Antioxidants
A surprising winner in the drinkable antioxidants arena is cocoa.
Warming up with hot cocoa will deliver an antioxidant punch that neither red wine nor green tea can beat, according to recent research. Cocoa is rich in phenols, compounds that fight heart disease, aging, and cancer. To keep your fat and calorie intake low, drink it in moderation.
Food Fixes
Turn plain black coffee into a "cafe mocha" by adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot cocoa mix into your cup. Make it richer by topping it off with an ounce or two of non-fat creamer!
Add a small amount of lemon juice to the artichoke cooking water to retain the color of the artichoke.
To easily give rice and potatoes added flavor, cook them in half water and half chicken or vegetable broth. If you use low-sodium broth, you can cook your rice entirely in broth instead of water.
You can cook shredded cabbage ahead of time, then plunge it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and blot dry, then wrap in a plastic bag and refrigerate. The next day, it can be added at the last minute to stir-frys or other sauteed food.