Weekly Wellness
Issue 335
Featured Article
How HGH Supplements Work Human growth hormone, also called somatotropin, is a protein hormone of 190 amino acids (building blocks of protein) that is created and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. It has two types of effects, both of which are highly beneficial to the vital, active human body.
Fitness Tip
The 20-Minute, Make-Every-Minute Count Rule
If you cannot perform your workout for as long as you like, interval training -- bursts of intensity followed by a brief recovery period -- gets results that are often just as good, if not better, than longer, slower-paced workouts. A study from Laval University in Quebec found that subjects who practiced interval training lost significantly more body fat than those who went slow and steady. Intervals burn more calories after a workout because your body takes longer to return to its previous resting state. Try it: Warm up for a few minutes, sprint or walk on a steep incline for 30 seconds, then return to a slower pace for two or three minutes; repeat five or six times.
Nutrition Tip
Use Chicken Broth to Add Flavor
When sauteing your favorite vegetables, low sodium chicken broth and fresh herbs are tasty substitutes for butter or margarine minus the additional calories. Toss your vegetables in the chicken broth mixed with fresh herbs, such as chives, dill, lemon grass, rosemary or thyme, saute and savor the flavor. To add a hint of sweetness to your vegetable dish, try adding a small amount of 100 percent fruit preserves to the chicken broth before coating your vegetables.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quip:
Vichyssoise, a cold potato soup, was invented when King Louis XV of France was so worried about being poisoned that he had a number of his servants taste his food before he ate it. As they passed the soup around, it got cold by the time it reached him. He liked it so much that way that he had it served cold thereafter.
Quick Recipe
Muffin Sandwich
Toast one-half of a whole-wheat English muffin. Top with one slice Canadian bacon, a tomato slice, and one slice low-fat American cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts.
Tidbit(s)
A Grain of Good News
A study of men who ate whole grains concluded that those who ate the most had an 18 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who ate the least. Another study reported similar findings in women. So load up on oatmeal, barley popcorn and other whole grain options. Look for cereals and breads with the words "whole grain" in the name or listed first among the ingredients.
Food Fixes
If you have a lingering onion smell on your hands after chopping those onions for a cookout (or for any reason), try rinsing them with cold water, rubbing them with salt, and then re-washing them. You can also rub your hands with half of a potato. For a fish odor, do as you would for the onion, and then rub your hands with lemon rind.
Sprinkle lemon juice on chicken breast before grilling -- the chicken will not dry out but will remain juicy after it has been cooked!
Tasty Tip: Squeeze lite process cheese spread or lite cream cheese onto stalks of celery to add some zing to celery.