Heart Health

Valentine’s Day is all about hearts!  So what a great chance to tell you some ways to make that heart as healthy as possible! 

• Move!  That means exercise!  It helps circulation and improves cholesterol levels.  Just 30 minutes 3-5 times per week will do wonders for your heart!
• Stop Smoking!  You’ve heard it a million times……smoking is horrible for your ole ticker!
• Control High Blood Pressure!  All that pressure on your blood vessels is rough on your heart!  Monitor and regularly check your blood pressure and take steps to lower it!
• Eat a Healthy Diet!  Cut out fried food and foods high in saturated fat and make sure to eat your fruits and veggies!  Also make sure to eat lots of good fats (fish, nuts and seeds)!
• De-stress!  Make sure you are getting adequate amounts of rest and taking time to tune out!
• Know Your History!  Even if you score a 100 in all of the above….genetics is a major risk factor!  Know your history and talk with your doctor about a plan to avoid cardiovascular disease! 

I hope your hearts are filled with lots of love and health today! 

Rest

Most people would agree that diet and exercise are the two main components of living a healthy lifestyle.  But there’s a third component that’s equally as important.  Rest.  

Your body needs adequate amounts of rest in order to stay healthy and function properly.  Getting a good night’s sleep allows our brains to rest and relax as well as allow our bodies to repair and relax.  Without the right amount of sleep, we feel sluggish, have decreased levels of work and can eventually become ill.  While 7 hours is recommended, everyone needs a different amount of sleep.  Some people can survive with 3-4 hours while others require 9-10 hours to be at peak performance.

Sleep is what most people think of when they talk about rest.  But another type is mental rest!  Mental and emotional stress can be very taxing on the body.  Exercise stresses the body in a good way and is for a short time.  But when you add onto that the stress brought on by other factors, the body starts to show symptoms such as:  fatigue, anxiety, moodiness, depression, sense of being overwhelmed, agitation and becoming physically ill.  The body has to rest in order to deal with the overload of stress on the body!

 

So in other words……SLOW DOWN!!!  If your feeling run down…….your body is telling you to rest!  Make sure you have equal amounts of a healthy diet, exercise and plenty of rest!  It’s Friday people!  You’ve had a long hard week!  Go home and relax!  You deserve it!  J      

Have a GREAT weekend!!!

Super Bowl Sunday

It’s here!  The mecca of all football games! THE SUPER BOWL!!!  And along with the Super Bowl comes super food!!!  Who doesn’t love to watch the game (mostly for the commercials) and eat some delicious food?!!  Here are some ways to tweak your old favorites and make them a bit healthier! 

Creamy Spinach Dip

Southwestern Layered Bean Dip

Turkey Burgers

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

EAT UP!!!!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Superman

Who doesn’t love Superman?!!!!  Okay…..so I’m not exactly talking about the Man of Steel here.  I’m talking about the exercise.  J   

A lot of people I talk to suffer from lower back pain.  It’s a very common ailment.  Especially as we age and stop using those lower back muscles.  Admit it.  Most of you are sitting at your desk reading this aren’t you?  We tend to slouch over and put added stress on those delicate back muscles.  Superman exercises are an easy backbend exercise to help counteract all of those hours we spend incorrectly using our back.  And the Superman not only works your back, but it also great for your glutes, hamstrings and shoulders.  Here are a few simple tips to follow:

1. Start by lying face down on your stomach with your arms overhead. 
2. Keeping your arms shoulder width distance apart and your feet hip width apart, slowly raise your arms and legs off of the floor and hold.  Lower back down to the ground. 
3. Repeat for several sets (3 sets of 10). 
4. Make sure to breath steadily and don’t bounce or move too fast.  Always protect those muscles. 
5. Beginners can alternate raising their arms and legs (lift right arm and left leg) or raise arms only or legs only.
6. Advanced options include adding a flutter kick and swimming arms, holding arms and leg wide or other moves such as a hamstring curl or chest opener. 

SUPER simple, right?!  J  I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Cheer Squad

A couple of weeks ago I watched a news blurb about a cheerleading group.  They are called the Sun City Poms.  But unlike most cheerleaders…all of these ladies are over the age of 55.

The group started in 1979 as a cheer squad for the Sun City Women’s Softball Team. Now they perform around 50 shows per year at conventions, sporting events, community meetings, fundraisers, and retirement living centers and care facilities. They even performed at the Fiesta Bowl parade! Sun City has over 100 residents over 100 years old and 2,350 residents over 85 so it is full of active senior citizens. But these ladies take the prize! With tons of enthusiasm and excitement…these women perform pyramids, pinwheels and some even do splits, leg lifts, and headstands!

I LOVE IT!!! This is another example of how you are never too old to be active! You can do anything!!! Maybe someday Cookeville will have a senior cheerleading squad. And if they do…..you can go ahead and sign this lady up! 

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Quinoa

Quinoa?  Quin-WHAT?!!  Have you heard of it?  Well let me tell you a little about it.  First of all…..it’s pronounced KEEN-WAH.  And although it seems like a new thing, it has been around for thousands of years.  The Incas cultivated this crop and believed it gave power and stamina to their warriors.  Quinoa is cooked and treated like a grain but is technically a seed.  This tiny seed comes in a rainbow of colors but the kind we see in most stores is an off white color.  Quinoa is a complete protein which means it contains all nine essential amino acids that our body needs.  Complete proteins are hard to come by in the plant world which make it an exceptional protein choice for vegetarians and vegans as well as anyone else wanting to choose a healthy diet.  And while one cup of quinoa only has 8 grams of protein, it’s the quality of the protein that matters!  Quinoa is also a great source of iron, manganese, potassium, riboflavin, copper, phosphorous, tryptophan, B6, niacin and thiamine. 

 

So how do you eat it?  Well some people just eat it plain.  And some people use it in all kinds of recipes.  Here is a link to 23 different recipes using quinoa:

Quinoa Recipes

As you can see…..quinoa is an extremely nutrient dense food.  It’s another one of those foods that I deem SUPERFOOD!  I personally LOVE it and put it in tacos, salads….mix it with chicken.  It’s super easy!  

 

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend! 
 

Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I’ve heard a lot of talk this year about New Year’s Resolutions.  Some people make them.  Some people think they are stupid.  Whatever your take is on it, I believe it’s always a good thing when people try to better themselves.  The problem I have with a “resolution” is that so many people feel like a failure if they don’t succeed.  That’s BOGUS!!!  You tried it!  You started something!  You made the first move!  Don’t ever feel like a failure!  Get back up and keep going!  So what if you fell off the horse.  Ride a chicken instead! J The path to success is paved with mistakes and failures. 

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!