Hi Fitbuddies,
While out walking this morning with a fellow fit buddy in what felt like sub-zero temperatures, I spotted two robins. Oblivious to the cold and our chatter, they happily flitted over the matted grass. The site of them was very uplifting and right on time. Even though my hands never warmed up and I was sniffling like crazy, I felt hopeful. Granted I’ve seen robins when there was several inches of snow on the ground, but it’s always a good sign. More than that, it’s a reassurance that the cycle continues. There are brighter, warmer days ahead and not just in terms of the weather. It’s imperative that we hold in our hearts and spirit’s the idea that all will be well. That we will make strides in our personal lives, our communities, our nation and on our planet. If the robins have enough confidence and inner knowing to keep coming back, we should have enough wherewithal to keep moving towards our goals, to peace and to prosperity. Take Care and Be Well.
In Health,
Sandra
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Dale Carnegie
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o Training Tip - Need New Knees
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Knee Pain - How To Keep Cartilage Healthy
If you’ve never experienced knee pain you’re one of the luckiest people on earth. You don’t have to run marathons or do endless rounds of squats to feel a twinge or outright debilitating pain in your knees. Sometimes it just comes with age.
Probably the most common habit that pressures and eventually injures knees is letting body weight fall inward on your knees and the arches of your feet. This bends your leg slightly inward at the knee (sometimes more than slightly inward). Letting your body weight sway inward makes several problems.
You probably already know that if you plant your foot and turn your body in a different direction, it will twist your knee (ouch). This twisting often injures the cushiony cartilage in your knee, called the meniscus. You can strain or tear your meniscus suddenly from a big twist, or gradually by letting your weight fall inward, which makes the leg bones twist in a similar way, day after day, year after year.
Letting your weight fall inward on your knee joint, instead of holding your weight up on your leg muscles contributes to other cartilage injury than just meniscus. It strains and wears the cartilage on the side of the knee, and stresses the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Stretched ligaments don't hold your bones in line, allowing them to rub and grind at unhealthy angles. Letting knees sway inward also interferes with normal thigh muscle use and how your kneecap moves when you walk. When you let your weight slump on your knee joints instead of using your thigh muscles, the kneecap can start to move slightly sideways instead of up and down each time you move your knee to walk. This rubs the cartilage on the inside of your kneecap. The friction can eventually break down and wear away the cartilage. This is called degenerative change.
Many people are told to accept the degeneration as aging, along with all the pain and disability that accompany it. They may be told they are flat-footed, or have a problem called pronation (which roughly means turning inward) or "knock-knees." But often, the cause is avoidable. Letting the foot and knee roll inward is easily corrected by using your leg muscles to hold your body weight, instead of letting body weight sag onto the joints of your ankle and knee. It is the same as not letting your shoulders round forward.
Look in a mirror. See if your kneecaps face inward or your arches flatten downward. See that it is your body weight that flattens out the arch. Now straighten your stance by using your leg muscles to lift your weight off your arch, gently, without rolling too far to the outside of the soles. Like any new habit it may feel strange at first. Many people are given orthotics or told to never walk barefoot. This is unnecessary. Practice correcting your leg position until you can walk with healthy, straight leg positioning that keeps weight on your leg muscles, not on the cartilage and joints of your knee.
Many people are told that turning ankles in and letting arches sag cannot be fixed or that if you try to hold straight you will cause harm. Think of a beginning skater. They let their ankles sag inward until they learn to hold their feet and ankles straight in healthy position. It is just practice in holding position, not something that cannot be changed. Another myth is that you need "supportive" shoes or boots to hold your ankles. You can hold your own position using your own muscles. By relying on a shoe, you can atrophy your muscles, making you less able to stabilize and balance.
Some people stand and move while "locking" the knee out straight, even pressing it backward. This posture makes the leg look more crescent-shaped than straight. It puts body weight onto the joint while pressing the joint slightly out of place, putting damaging forces on the cartilage. Many people push their knees into hyperextension when standing and walking. Others "bang" the joint into straight position in exercise and aerobic classes. This locked out position is sometimes taught in yoga and dance classes. Pain is commonly felt after long sitting or upon waking. Instead, stand and move without locking the joint straight.
I sense you may be suffering from eyestrain right about now, so that’s all you need about knees today. Get it; need/knees? Never mind, next week I share some safety tips to protect you and your knees.
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o What’s On Your Plate - Grocery Shopping
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Friday’s is designated grocery shopping day in the Garth household, and it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I could spend hours there. For those of you who don’t share my love of supermarkets I’ve gathered some helpful hints to make sure you come home with the most economical, waist friendly and tasty items. Make sure you have your list, grab a cart and let’s go!
- Plan at least a week’s worth of meals and snacks to minimize trips to the store. This reduces the risk of impulse buying and saves on gas.
- Before you start shopping mentally identify what foods typically set off your cravings. Avoid these trigger foods. Even if it’s almonds or whole wheat pretzels, don’t include them if you won’t stop eating until the whole bag or can is empty.
- Do the majority of your shopping along the perimeter. That’s where the most nutritious foods are. Most stores are outlined with their produce, dairy and meat departments. Most stuff in the middle is either canned, boxed, or prepared.
- Shop the sales and take advantage of BOGO (buy 1 get one free), or 10/$10, if it’s something conducive to your healthy eating plan, budget, tastes and if you have room for it.
- With so many newspapers not publishing anymore you have to search for coupons. Check out: www.couponCraze.com, www.freecoupons.com, www.coolsavings.com for some pretty good deals. You will have to sign up for a free account and possibly download the coupon printer. All of this might take 10 mins top. It’s a mild annoyance but worth it.
- Always include a source of protein in your meals and most snacks. Protein is the most satisfying nutrient right after fat.
- If you’re buying frozen fruits and veggies make sure they’re free of additives, which means you’ll have to read labels.
- When checking food labels, not that ingredients are listed in descending order of the amount of food.
- Sugar free items aren’t the free for all you might think they are. When sugar is removed, something else must be added to ramp up the flavor. Most of the time it’s fat and or sodium.
- Avoid processed lunch meats such as bologna and salami. They contain some sugar, nitrates and saturated fats.
- Make sure you have your cheat foods handy for when hunger hits you between meals. Always keep food like sliced turkey, lean ham, crispy veggies, whole wheat crackers, fruit, and no calorie beverages on hand.
Once you’re back at home and the groceries are put away start on some minor preparation. If you’ve planned your meals this step will be a breeze. Chop/slice all veggies and store in airtight containers or zippered. Portion out snacks in smaller snack bags. Wash and season any meat, poultry or fish for the coming week and freeze it. The most challenging part of healthy eating is preparation and cooking. Get a jump start on it and maybe you’ll look forward to grocery shopping as much as I do. Meet me in the produce isle!
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o Recipe Corner - Healthy Belgian Waffles
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The days of not eating carbs are over. However, eating the best carbs is what’s important. And the best carbs allow you to indulge in these fluffy and filling waffles. Beaten egg whites help keep them light and airy. Top them with a small amount of real maple syrup or warmed fruit like berries, peaches or just sliced bananas. Enjoy!
4 large eggs, separated
4 TBS (½ stick) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
¼ c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c sour cream
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
Grated nutmeg (optional)
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Spoon into another bowl and set aside. In the same mixer bowl, cream the butter until fluffy and beat in the egg yolks -- one at a time. Add the flour and sour cream alternately, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla, salt and nutmeg, if desired. Fold in the egg whites. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Makes 3 very large Belgian waffles.
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o Think About This - Why Worry
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Most of us get the occasional stomach-churning bout of worry but just because we all get butterflies doesn’t mean worrying is a healthy habit - it isn’t! When you worry, you are living in a future world that may not ever happen. Also, just because you don’t know a future outcome it doesn’t mean it’s going to be negative. Worry can motivate you to do things like warning your children not to talk to strangers or double-checking directions to get somewhere- these reactions are pretty normal. Worry only becomes ineffective when, for example, you are still contemplating getting lost even though you have mapped out your route and printed out the directions. In other words you have taken steps to insure a positive outcome yet you still spend time and energy on expecting a negative result. Stop it already!
There are ways to reduce how much you worry about things. It takes practice but what it boils down to is changing how you think about the world and really believing that tomorrow is going to bring something great not something awful. Here are a few of the most common ways in which we worry along with simple advice to help put worry behind you.
Seeking Constant Reassurance
There is no harm in getting a second opinion about something but asking for it repeatedly is not useful. This is because it’s easy to second-guess any answer you get especially if you doubt yourself to begin with. For example you are worried that your partner no longer finds you attractive so you ask them. They reply (hopefully!!) “Of course I find you attractive” but you’re not convinced so you ask them again…and again…and again… It gets old after a while. No reply they give provides you with the absolute certainty you need; at this point you need to stop and ask yourself why you are not taking the answer at face value. Are you hoping to validate your fears? At the end of the day the answer you have been given is the only one you are going to get so accept it then take steps that will help you believe in yourself – without having to rely on feedback from others.
ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL, AND WORK ON WHAT YOU CAN
Ignoring Your Worries
Maybe you fear not being successful with weight loss. When the thought pops up, you put it right out of your mind. By not allowing yourself to think about this fear for even a second you think you are not worrying about it. In reality what you are actually doing is reinforcing your fear by not facing it….
Repeat to yourself “It is always possible that I may won’t lose weight”; your anxiety levels will shoot up at first but, after a few minutes, you will calm down as the thought loses its power. By doing this you will discover that because you are thinking about the worst-case scenario it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen.
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEARS AND YOU WILL REDUCE THEIR POWER
Arming Yourself With Irrelevant Information
It’s a good idea to gather as much information as you can about something that is bothering you but the value of it depends on the type of information you have collected. For example, if you are worried about flying and Google “plane crashes” you will find lots of information about terrible accidents. But what if you looked for “safe plane landings” instead? It is called Confirmation Bias – wanting to prove your fear is real and then finding information that confirms it. You need to ask yourself “Am I collecting useful information or am I just confirming my fear and worrying myself silly?
WEIGH UP THE VALUE OF YOUR SOURCES AND ALWAYS THINK ABOUT BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY….