That's Fit

This weekend, our family went to a Mexican Fiesta party. I gotta say, not only were the food offerings delicious -- and plentiful! -- they were also healthy. From guacamole and veggies to slow-cooked beans with cilantro, there was something to satisfy every taste, and every nutritional need.

My favorite had to be the Mexican chopped salad with honey lime dressing. This salad had greens, chunks and color, color, color. Everything is fresh and the balanced ingredients are oozing nutrition.

Talk about a masterpiece: romaine, black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, jicama, radishes, red pepper, and a delectable dressing, complete with fresh garlic.

Eat beans, say the smart ones at my fitness center. Just got another e-mail health tip from them, and it's all about, yep, beans.

Beans are inexpensive and delicious and easy to keep stocked in your pantry. Best of all, they're packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber. They're also cholesterol-free, almost fat-free, and if the health experts of the world are right, they'll even lower your cholesterol. The best when it comes to cholesterol-lowering beans: Pinto, navy, and garbanzo beans all have similar lowering effects. Researchers think it's phytochemicals, the compounds that gives plants their color, that may be responsible.

Time to add beans to your soups, casseroles, salads, dips, and more. Think about making them the focal part of your next meal and see what you think.

Next time you're tempted to buy candy, pick individually-wrapped options. New research from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri tells us we tend to eat these slower than their "naked" counterparts.

The way a snack is packaged affects how much we consume. Hershey's Kisses slow us down. Jelly beans do not. "A simple partition (like tinfoil) forces you to pause and ask yourself, 'Do I really want this?'" says one professor involved in the WU study.

Your homework, says Family Circle magazine: If and when you splurge on snacks and munchies not of the healthy persuasion, divide into containers you must open, like plastic bags or aluminum tins.

Some people might think we're a little nutty about our kids' early bedtime. I mean, we can be flexible. This summer, our boys enjoyed many a late night since they could sleep late in the morning. But mostly, and definitely when school is in session, Joey and Danny head for bed around 8 PM. That gives them 10.5 hours of sleep before we start the day with a rousing wake-up call.

Research says we're not so nutty after all, because getting too little sleep or not spending enough time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is associated with overweight tendencies among children and teens.

Compared to normal-weight children, one study found that overweight kids slept about 22 minutes less per night and had lower sleep efficiency, shorter REM sleep, less eye activity during REM sleep, and a longer wait before the first REM period. One hour less of total sleep was associated with a twofold increased risk of being overweight. One hour less of REM sleep was associated with a threefold increased risk.

What's the deal? It seems sleep loss causes changes in hormone levels that may affect hunger. Less sleep also allows for more waking hours in which to eat. In addition, sleep loss leads to fatigue, less physical activity, and fewer calories burned. A vicious cycle for sure. And one I plan to avoid for my kiddos. Bedtime tonight: 8 PM. On the dot.

Parents are always trying to get their teens to eat healthfully, serving them healthy breakfasts and dinners as often as they can. But what about the hours in between? It's during those times, which typically fall around the normal school lunch period, that many kids make their own dietary choices. And, as a recent CDC study discovered, most high schools aren't offering the type of healthy choices you are at home.

A CDC study of 36 states found that in some states, it's very easy for teens to get unhealthy junk food both in their lunch lines or throughout the day in vending machines.

Amazingly, this is actually an improvement over recent years. In a related study, the percentage of high schools selling junk food during lunch periods dropped from 53 percent in 2004 to about 37 percent in 2006. However, there was not any change in the percentage of high schools selling junk food during non lunchtime hours, such as candy in vending machines or in the school store.

Gyms are designed to help you get the best workout possible. There are dozens of machines, group classes, and pieces of equipment from which to choose, placing fitness at your fingertips. But, gyms can also be places where people want to talk your ear off instead of letting you work out, home to a number of infection-causing germs, and sometimes too overcrowded to serve their primary purpose of convenience. Thankfully, you can always take your workout outside.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, all that's required is 30 minutes of activity per day -- whether it be jogging, walking, shooting hoops, gardening, dancing, etc. And, to keep muscles and bones strong, doctors suggest also incorporating 20 minutes of resistance training exercise two or three times a week.

With summer still here, there's no better time to break free of the confines of your gym walls and take your workout into the great outdoors. No longer will you have to wait for equipment, wipe sweat off a weight bench, or even have to worry about making it there before they close. Now that sounds pretty convenient to me.

When the elderly complain of feeling tired or experiencing a lack of energy, it shouldn't immediately be dismissed as simply being a sign of old age, says new research published in he Journal of Gerontology. That lack of energy -- known as anergia -- may be a sign of several health problems.

Researchers found that the 18 percent of study participants classified as anergic reported more arthritis, sleep disorders, cardiovascular symptoms and other health issues, according to an article that appears on MedicineNet.com. They also reported twice as many overnight hospitalizations, emergency department visits and home care services. In addition, anergia was associated with a 60 percent greater rate of death in the six years after participants were surveyed, the study said.

To read the full article, click here.

Yesterday I made a quick stop to see my dermatologist. The reason: to have him take a look at a few tiny moles on my back. Granted, I was pretty certain they were nothing to be overly concerned with, but I'm a firm believer in being proactive in my health care, so I thought it was at least having a doctor take a look at them.

As I anticipated, they were thankfully nothing more than common moles. Still, he took some photos of them, measured them, and told me to keep an eye on them over the next six months to a year. If they grow or change color during that time, he said it may warrant taking a second look.

As I left, the doctor shook my hand and gave me a pamphlet on moles. Not exactly the most interesting piece of literature, for sure, but it contained some worthwhile information about how to recognize early warning signs of malignant melanoma in your moles. Based on what I read, dermatologists suggest using the ABCDs of melanoma when examining your moles.

Asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other half.

Are your kitchen countertops killing you? Stop laughing -- I'm being serious here. There might be a very real and potentially deadly source of radioactive gas in your home--your granite countertops. According to this article from the New York Times, granite countertops can contain high levels of Uranium, which is radioactive in itself, and when it decays, it releases radon, a radioactive gas. If that's not frightening enough, consider this: radon can cause lung cancer.

Not all granite countertops are dangerous, but have the potential to be. What can you do to protect yourself? Test the merchandise before you buy it by hiring a certified technician to measure your radiation levels or picking up a DIY tester from the Environmental Protection Agency.

(Via Crabby McSlacker)

The post-workout meal is among the most important you'll eat all day. It's long been known that upon completion of a strenuous workout -- particularly, a resistance training workout -- it's vital that you replenish your body with a good amount of protein. The good news -- for our wallets and, arguably, our kidneys -- is that we may not need as much protein at that point as we previously thought we did.

According to Canadian researchers, half a scoop of whey protein powder (or about 10 grams of protein, in most cases) is enough to replenish and help build muscle. So, if you're used to drinking 20 or more grams of protein in your post-workout shake, make that bucket o' protein go a little further by only using half as much.

It may only seem like placing a Band-Aid on a bazooka wound, but over time the savings will add up. And best of all, as the study suggests, it won't come at the expense of your health and fitness.

Have you ever heard of the mind/muscle connection? Generally speaking, this is the process of focusing on, and visualizing, the muscle group you are working as you actually do. For example, if you are doing a set of bicep curls, you would focus on your biceps getting as good a workout as possible and, as best you can, visualizing the muscle working and growing.

The same way this mental connection helps build muscle, it also helps prevent injuries. This is because the visualization process is basically the same; intently focusing on your muscles as you work them will help ensure that you are sticking to proper form.

Most exercise-related injuries occur when attempts are made to lift unmanageable amounts of weight and/or when proper form is all but forgotten. Homing in on these areas of your body as they are being worked will reduce the likelihood that you'll abandon correct form and, consequently, lower your risk of injury at the same time.

How many push-ups can you do? I'm guessing you probably can't do as many as you want to be able to do. I feel your pain -- push-ups are hard! It took me months of training before I was any good at them.

What would you say, then, if I told you that in 6 weeks, you could do 100 consecutive push-ups? I'm being serious here -- The Hundred Push-Ups Training Plan is a detailed plan that will have you cruising through the push-ups portion of your workout in no time ... even if you can barely manage a few at a time.

Head over to the website for more details on the plan ... and then get to it!

(Via Fitsugar)

School is now in full swing -- bring on the chicken nuggets, pizza dippers and hot dogs with tri tators! My son entered first grade this year and it's hard to shield him from the real world of school lunch junk.

Our district's new food service provider says they strive to provide a wholesome, nutritious lunch with 2 ozs of meat/meat alternative, 2 servings of fruit and/or vegetable, 1-2 servings of grains and 8 ozs of milk. After reviewing September's menu, I'm not that impressed:

• Only 8 out of 21 lunches offer a vegetable that isn't potatoes or corn.
  
• Only 7 out of 21 lunches offer a fresh fruit -- the rest offer sugar-filled juices/juice bars and packaged fruit cups. No fresh berries, grapes or melon either.
  
• Only 2 out of 21 lunches offer a fresh fruit and a vegetable -- that's pathetic!
• Processed meats abound -- hot dogs, burgers, corn dogs, chicken nuggets.
• Eight ozs of milk sounds good, but it turns out kids can choose between white milk or sugar-loaded chocolate milk. Which carton do you think most kids will grab?
• I was pleasantly surprised to see multigrain pretzels and whole grain bread/bun options.

So I'm now packing my son's lunch four days a week. It always includes a fresh vegetable, a fruit and a small treat. A rotating mix of half sandwiches on whole grain bread, yogurt, low-fat cheese sticks, hard-boiled eggs and baked chips or pretzels round out the rest. He's agreed to choose white milk. The remaining day? School lunch junk complete with chocolate milk.

Over at Science Daily, they've been talking about a group of nomadic cattle farmers in Africa called the Masai. What's so interesting about them? They eat a diet high in fats, and yet their rates of cardiovascular disease are way down, they have low average body weights and their blood lipid profiles are generally healthy. What's their secret? Walking.

We're not talking about mega-fast speed walking here -- just some low-level strolling ... and lots of it. In fact, the Masai are believed to walk about 20 km a day -- that's about 12.5 km.

OK, so walking that much every day isn't an option for many of us, but getting in our 10,000 steps a day and eating a balanced meal are things we can -- and should -- do to keep our chances of cardiovascular disease down.

(via Mark's Daily Apple)

I've said before that I wish there was a way to ration myself a handful of M&Ms or a small serving of something sweet a day. But I can't keep that stuff in the house because when it comes to chocolate, I just don't have enough self-control. So (perhaps sadly), I can get behind the idea of the Chococlock.

Every hour on the hour, the clock offers up a piece of chocolate. You've got 30 seconds to grab it, then it's gone until the next hour. The fatal flaw with this product, however, is the cheat button. Doesn't anyone understand how a chocoholic works? I'd have that cheat button worn out in no time.

Thankfully, there's a free way to keep a handle on overdoing the sweets. Leave them at the store. Studies show that if you leave tempting food in your line of sight, you're far more likely to eat it. When I want a treat, I go out and buy one, but control my cravings by only buying a single serving every time.

How to you keep your cravings for your favorite treats under control?