Get Rid Of The Bricks

By Lisa VanWilliams

Do you know that 5 pounds of fat is equivalent to a stone brick?

If you are not sure what weight range you should exactly be in,  it's all determined by BMI (body mass index) and/or body fat percentages.

The American Council on Exercise gives these recommendations for ideal amounts of body fat:

Percent Body Fat Norms for Men and Women
Description	Women	Men
Essential Fat	10-13%	2-5%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-24%
Obesity	>32%	>25%

The CDC also offers a BMI calculator if you prefer a weight range and a BMI average:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

Don't carry more bricks than you need, because it's harder to break down a wall than smash a few bricks.

Exercise Benefits

By Lisa VanWilliams

Sometimes it is a good reminder to think of all the reasons your out there putting miles on your sneakers and lifting repetitiously at the gym. Making healthy choices in a world where you are surrounded by temptation every day is not an easy task.

The Mayo Clinic did an article where they list 7 benefits of regular physical activity and they included the following:

1. Exercise controls weight
2. Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
3. Exercise improves mood
4. Exercise boosts energy
5. Exercise promotes better sleep
6. Exercise puts the spark back in your sex life
7. Exercise can be fun

So there it is, just 30 minutes a day can help start improving so many aspects of your life. Park a few more spaces away than you normally would at the store, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or do an extra lap at Costco. Consciously try to make better decisions every day to improve yourself.

Peanuts - Not Just For Elephants

By Lisa VanWilliams

Good ole ball game peanuts.  Peanuts are a great afternoon snack that not only can keep idle hands busy, but they offer protein, nutrients, and they are high in fiber. Peanuts are one of America's basic crops with Georgia being the leader in production for the states.

The traveling circus introduced them to many back in the day when they went cross country by wagon. This nutty tasting snack became popular in America after the Civil War when George Washington Carter played a role in increasing their popularity. Peanuts have been around for over 7,500 years and they are believed to have originated out of South America.

Why are peanuts good for you?

• lowers risk for cardiovascular disease (resveratrol)
• lowers cancer risk (resveratrol)
• fights hunger
• packed with anti-oxidants
• lower risk of developing gallstones
• niacin rich which helps protects against Alzheimer's & it is good for blood flow

Also a few facts from the American Peanut Council:

1. Peanuts are the #1 snack nut consumed in the U.S., accounting for 2/3 of the snack nut market.
2. U.S. peanut farmers produce around 1.9 million tons of peanuts annually on approximately 1.44 million acres.
3. Peanuts and peanut butter are protein powerhouses - providing 15% (7.6 g) of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) level (50 g) of protein per serving (one ounce of peanuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter).

Warning: I feel compelled to warn you that peanut shells will be allllll overrrrrrr your house and/or area of nut cracking. Keep the Dust Buster on hand for anxiety relief.

Pineapple - The Tropical Treat

By Lisa VanWilliams

It's not just what Sponge Bob lives in, it is so much more. The main player in the Pina Colada, the top of the Upside-Down cake, sweet topping on your pizza, fruit next to the little umbrella in a tropical drink, grilled or straight up plain PINEAPPLE. Finally something that tastes good and it's healthy.

Pineapples originated in South America and then made their way around the World. They say it resembles a pine cone and that's how it got it's name. Pineapple starts to spoil as soon as they are cut, so back in the early days it was considered a prestigious treat and a rarity because they traveled by ship and it took so long. Hawaii starting planting them in the 1900's and the island pioneered pineapple production with companies like Dole and Del Monte. Today 86 countries produce pineapples with the leaders being the Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Thailand. 

Why are they good for you?

• packed with vitamin C and manganese (increases energy)
• anti-inflammatory
• digestive benefits
• anti-oxidant
• immunity support
• strengthens bones
• helps prevents vision loss (macular degeneration)
• fiber and potassium
• bromelain packed which is said to have healing powers

Fresh pineapple is the way to go if you want to tantalize your taste buds.  It lasts longer if you store it in the fridge. We even keep some frozen to have on hand for fruit smoothies. Whichever way you choose to enjoy it, pineapples offer some great health benefits.

Soreness From Exercising

By Lisa & Steve VanWilliams

So, we have been increasing our activity levels and intensity lately and boy am I sore. I feel like an 80 year woman after I sit for a while and try to get my muscles moving again. Why does this happen?

It's called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and it happens 24-72 hours after exercise. There is also acute muscle soreness which happens right after the exercise. Your basically contracting and tearing (or rupturing) your muscles and lengthening them causing them to swell. The body is increasing stamina, strength, pain threshold and tolerance levels.  The body is adapting and recovering from the exertion.

This soreness can occur from changing your routine up, increasing intensity or duration, or starting a new exercise. The eccentric portion of weight baring exercises or load baring create the most muscle soreness - which is the lowering phase of an exercise. Some great exercises that you can really concentrate on the eccentric part of the motion include squats, push-ups, running downhill, lowering weights, and going down stairs. To maximize your workouts your should lower weight slowly, squat slower on the down phase (eccentric) and lift (concentric) a bit faster.
 

The good news is the more you do it, the less sore your body will be as it adapts. The body recovers in 3-7 days and there are a few things they say that might help alleviate walking like a zombie. Stretch, drink lots of water, progress slowly, and give your body time to repair.

SORE = the most satisfying feeling of knowing you pushed yourself and accomplished something.    

Beef Stew Under Pressure‏

By Lisa VanWilliams

This is a delicious good ole hearty stew fit for a crisp fall night that the whole family will enjoy.  It is bursting with flavor and easy to make in only 20 minutes with only one pot to clean !!  **Pressure cooker required

Ingredients:
1 pd beef round cut in chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove chopped
1/2 large onion chopped in cubes
5 medium carrots sliced or chunked
4 celery sticks chopped
3-4 potato's cubed
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup corn starch with cold water added & mixed
parsley

Directions:
In your pressure cooker add the olive oil, garlic, beef, onions, salt & pepper and cook them on a high heat until they brown up.  Add in the Worcestershire sauce. Now the carrots, celery, and potato's can be added in and stirred up.  Lastly, add the bouillon cubes and water and give it one last stir before you cover it and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. After 20 mins, remove the lid and pour in the corn starch while stirring to thicken up the gravy. Sprinkle in parsley and stir.  Simple, easy, filling, and they will be coming back for more.

Carrots - Not Just For Bugs Bunny‏

By Lisa VanWilliams

 

Steaming carrots is the best way to get the most flavor but some people prefer them as a raw crunchy snack.  It's a quick easy healthy snack that is easily transportable, and they have a longer shelf life than other veggies in the fridge.   This root vegetable has been around for thousands of years and they actually did not start off orange. They come in several colors such as white, purple, yellow, and red with each variety offering different amounts of anti-oxidants. Carrots can be bred to produce different colors.

 

Carrot consumption and production has more than doubled in the past 30 years. China produces the most carrots, followed by Russia and then the U.S. (with California producing 80%). World War II seems to be the start of the myth that eating carrots will improve your eye sight. Rumors were spread by the Britain's Air Ministry that carrots helped pilots see Nazi bombers at night, in reality, they were just trying to cover up that they now had radar.

 

Carrots might not give you night vision but they do offer a number of health benefits such as:

 

• beta-carotene & anti-oxidants
• lower your risk of cardiovascular disease
• falcarinol and falcarindiol inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells
• packed with vitamin A
• carotenoids are good for eye health
• good source for immunity support
• high levels of vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber

So, carrots aren't just for rabbits. They are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and they can be incorporated into numerous meals. Look out for our beef stew recipe we will be posting soon and be sure to load up on your carrots and try it out.