Better Bone Health Pt. 4

Don't let osteoporosis get you down there are many factors determine whether or not a person will develop osteoporosis. Everything from age, gender, and race to family history and chronic diseases might play a role in the onset of this disease. However, these lifestyle risks easy enough to modify:
NO Smoking
NO Excessive drinking
Inadequate calcium in your diet
Lack of weight-bearing exercise
Bottom line: Your behaviors are your choice. Do what you can to stay healthy and you'll raise the bar on your quality of life.

Better Bone Health Pt.3

Get your calcium by:
Dairy products: low-fat or nonfat milk, cheese, and yogurt
Dark green leafy vegetables: bok choy and spinach
Calcium-fortified foods:orange juice, cereal, bread, soy beverages, and tofu products
Nuts: almonds
In addition to consuming calcium, the resistance training will help keep your bones strong and healthy. Keep up the good work.

Better Bone Health Pt. 2

What's the best thing you can do to make sure that your bones stay in tip-top shape? Simple, get your calcium. Our bodies can't produce calcium on their own, and we need this miracle mineral to keep our bones and our teeth healthy and to facilitate proper function of the heart, muscles, and nerves.

Thanksgiving Morning

Thanksgiving is around the corner and you may be ready for the main meal, so I thought I would give you a quick little breakfast. This can be made for a few or a big group.

Hotcakes
Serves 3

3 eggs
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
3 teaspoons Smucker's sugar-free jam

Preheat a griddle to 380°F or on high, until a drop of water sizzles. Separate yolks from egg whites. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Beat egg yolks till thick. Add cottage cheese to yolks and beat well. Stir in flour. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter onto the griddle, making each hotcake about 5 inches in di­ameter. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Then remove and dollop 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon jam on each hotcake. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 188 FAT 7 g PROTEIN 22 g SODIUM 322 mg FIBER 3.8 g CARBOHYDRATE 40 g

Better Bone Health

Your bones have several important functions. In addition to forming your skeleton and supporting your whole body, they shield your organs and keep your muscles in place. They also store calcium, which is essential to maintaining strength and healthy bone density. But bones start losing density as we get older, which increases the risk of osteoporosis, especially for women. Since estrogen is a natural protector against bone loss. The threat of bone tissue deterioration and fractures associated with osteoporosis should be taken seriously.

Push Together

Remember, there is strength in numbers. Get with friends and learn to push each other every day to test their limits. Check out if one of your friends has accomplished their goal. If so maybe they can help you reach one of yours. Tell them to call you and push you to take a million steps by Christmas. Learn to work together to reach those goals.

You're Worth It

Change is painful and often requires some struggling, but remember, it's so worth it. Every time you grunt or push yourself physically, you will grow even stronger and more confident in your abilities. And you might as well face it now it will never get easier, because you should always be pushing yourself to the next level, no matter what that might be. And you know what? You're going to be stronger, healthier, and happier for all that hard work.

Happy Friday

Be safe and protect yourself from as much as the of those toxic chemicals as you can. It is all about picking your battles.

Chicken Scallopini
Serves 4 (serving size is 1 piece chicken and 1 tablespoon sauce)

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
cooking spray (olive oil preferred)
1/3 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon capers, drained (rinse well if packed in salt)
1 tablespoon Smart Start

1. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush chicken with juice, and sprinkle with black pepper. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
3. Add broth and wine to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Removefrom heat. Stir in capers and Smart Start.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 206 FAT 4.6 g PROTEIN 29.2 g SODIUM 307 mg FIBER .6 g CARBOHYDRATE 7.7 g

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Ah Nuts

No need for plastic container here, with this healthy little snack. Nuts and seeds contain some of the most ideal fats to choose from when it comes to your daily caloric intake of fats and oils. If you're a slow oxidizer, try to stick to raw and unsalted nuts, but if you're a fast or balanced oxidizer, go for walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, filberts, pecans, chestnuts, pistachios, coconut, and macadamias.

Here are some tips for using all plastics safely:
· Don't microwave food plastic containers. Chemicals are more likely to leach out when plastic is heated. Cover foods in the microwave with wax paper or a plate. If you do use plastic wrap, then make sure it doesn't touch the food.
· Avoid putting hot foods in plastic containers. Let leftovers cool off before storing them in plastic.
· Take good care of plastics by not washing them with harsh chemicals, and dispose of scratched and worn containers. Research has shown that older, scratched items will leach more.
Experts say stainless steel is your best bet for reusable water bottles right now.

Safest Plastics Pt. 2

The following plastics are considered safest for food storage. Glass and stainless steel are also good options.
Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PETE), code 1.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE), code 2.
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), code 4.
Polypropylene (PP), code 5.

Safest plastics

Some plastics are safer to eat and drink from than others. Here's a quick guide to help you make informed choices.
It's worth avoiding the following plastics when you can. You can identify a plastic by looking at the recycling code number that appears inside a triangle at the bottom of many containers.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can leach phthaltes, known male reproductive toxicants. Marked with a 3.
Polystyrene is used in Styrofoam products. It may leach styrene (a neurotoxin) when it comes into contact with hot, acidic, or fatty foods. Marked with a 6.
Polycarbonate can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor associated with a long list of health concerns. Baby bottles, "sippy" cups, 5-gallon water jugs, and reusable beverage bottles are typically made out of this plastic. Marked with a 7.

Treat to Eat

Keep up all the hard work. And for a little treat try this... chocolate cake, it may not be the kind you had in mind but it really is tasty. Have a great weekend all!

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves 8; 261 calories per serving, 6 g of fat
Ingredients:1/2 cup(s) matzah meal 1/3 cup(s) nuts, walnuts 2 large egg(s) 1 1/4 cup(s) sugar 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup(s) apple(s) 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened 2 ounce(s) chocolate, semisweet 8 large egg white(s) 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine matzo meal and walnuts in a food processor; process until nuts are finely chopped. Spread on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Stir in the matzo mixture, apple, cocoa, and chocolate.
In a large, clean bowl, beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Stir one-quarter of the beaten whites into the batter. Then gently fold in remaining whites with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan, spreading evenly. Tap pan lightly on counter to release air bubbles.
Bake torte until top springs back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. With a knife, loosen edges of torte. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. (Torte will sink in center.)
Remove torte from pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

All or Nothing

If you haven't already, it's time to kill the all-or-nothing attitude. One great way to do that is to get real about setbacks. We are all bound to have lapses on the road to health and wellness, but it is critical that we learn how to handle small failures positively so that we can minimize their long-term destructive effects. One setback is one setback, it's not the end of the world, nor is it the end of your journey toward a better you.

Do the Work Pt. 2

I can only tell you to stick with it. I get frustrated just the same… we all do. It is upsetting to have a goal and not get the results right away. Continue working hard and take all the compliments that you get along the way. They are all sincere, and if you haven’t gotten to that point yet notice the change in yourself, after all you are the reason you are working so hard. Always remind yourself of why you are doing this, say it out loud, “This is FOR ME!”

Do the Work

I like to see people doing the work that will help them reach their goals. Most people don’t really know how strong they are or what their potential really is. Workouts are supposed to be work, and workouts are tough, but you are strong enough to do them. I set out to make a workout tough knowing that you'll only get stronger, and the stronger you get physically, the stronger you will become in every other way.

Share Your Vibes

One way to stay motivated is to acknowledge when you're feeling great. Get more mileage out of those good vibes, by sharing them with others. Not only will you be excited to report your success, you'll be inspiring your fellow workout buddies.
Sharing thoughts like:

I want to thank you for your positive energy and thoughts.
I am happy with my 1.4-pound weight loss, which puts me closer to my goal weight.
I got on the treadmill and made myself run for 65 minutes at 5.9 mph.
I managed to workout every day while I was out of town.
I missed some workout last week but this week I got some good workouts in and a couple of nice runs.

And I'm proud you're all making the most of your individual situations. You're doing fantastic work.