Saturday, February 24, 2001
Friday, February 23, 2001
by Katy Yocom
Think you're too busy to eat right? Think again. Chances are, you're too busy NOT to eat right.
Your body needs the right fuel to keep it working its best. Burgers and fries from the fast-food drive-thru may save you time, but they sabotage more than just your diet. Fatty meals undermine your productivity--the very thing you need to make it through a busy day.
It's all in the way your body processes the food. Fatty foods force your body to divert blood to your stomach to aid digestion. The result: Your brain and the rest of your body get shortchanged. You feel sluggish, even sleepy. Your work suffers.
If you can't afford the productivity loss (and if you'd rather not clog your arteries and add inches to your waistline), hit one of the fast-food sandwich shops that offers low-fat, low-cal choices. Or brown-bag a light, nutritious alternative. A tuna salad sandwich on whole-grain bread, along with some baby carrots and an apple, will keep you clicking along at peak performance through the rest of the afternoon.
Placing the hands behind the neck or head during a crunch allows the arms to pull the head and neck into hyper flexion (bending a joint more than normal). To eliminate this chance of injury, place the hands at the sides or across the chest. If you find the crunch too easy, then place the palms or fists to cover the ears to prevent pulling on the neck. Another alternative is to cross the hands behind the upper back by reaching down the spine as far as possible (about third or fourth thoracic vertebrae) and holding this position while resting the weight of the head on the arms. This creates a cradle for the head.
Elizabeth Thornberry
Thursday, February 22, 2001
The question asked the most by readers, "What exercises can I do to flatten my stomach?" The abdominal crunch is the most recommended exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Crunches will develop the upper abdominal muscles and help to reduce a protruding stomach. If the problem is fat in the abdominal area, aerobic exercise (fat burning exercise) is also needed.
Starting Position: Lie on the floor. Either hold your legs at a 90-degree angle with your lower legs parallel to the floor or place them over a bench or a piece of furniture. Extend the arms along the side of your body or cross arms on your chest with your hands on your shoulders. The palms of your hands can be placed on your ears or interlaced behind your head. Just don't pull forward on the neck--this will only hurt your exercising!
Movement: Curl up until shoulder blades leave floor, force your chest muscles toward your legs and pull your hips upward, hold for a second, then roll down to the starting position. Remember to inhale as you move upward, exhale as you lower your shoulders. Repeat with correct form until fatigued, or perform sets of up to twenty-five repetitions.
Alternative for Beginners: Lie on the floor. Bring the knees up but keep the feet flat on the floor. Extend arms along side of body. Curl up until shoulder blades leave floor, then roll down to the starting position. Repeat with correct form until fatigued, or perform sets of up to twenty-five repetitions.
To view the movement of this exercise, go to
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/abs.htm
Wednesday, February 21, 2001
by Katy Yocom
There are fats, and there are fats. Olive oil, canola oil and others draw cheers for their heart-healthy properties. Hard margarine is hexed with the dreaded trans fats. Butter gets the thumbs-down for its saturated fat. Oh, but butter tastes so good.
One way to get the butter flavor without the fat is to use butter-flavored sprinkles. A half-teaspoon serving contains only four calories and no fat. Butter-flavored sprinkles have limited uses--they pretty much work only for hot, moist foods--but under the right circumstances they do make a fair substitute. (The right circumstances, as stated on the Molly McButter container, are when you're eating vegetables, pasta, potatoes, poultry, rice, eggs, popcorn or hot cereal.)
Tuesday, February 20, 2001
by Katy Yocom
If you grew up noshing on Pop-Tarts for breakfast, you may still hanker for something warm and sweet in the mornings. You have a number of grown-up choices that should satisfy this craving in more nutritionally sound manner. (Pop-Tarts, incidentally, contain about 200 starchy, sugary calories a pop. If you'll forgive the pun.)
If you want your breakfast to come out of the toaster and you want it to be sweet, your best nutritional choice is half a whole-grain bagel with a teaspoon of fruit spread. As an alternative topping, try peanut butter and banana slices. The banana adds its own sweetness to the mildly sweet flavor of the peanut butter. (Of course, measure your portions.)
Less nutritionally perfect, but still low-calorie, are bagels made with white flour. If you nosh on half a blueberry or cinnamon-raisin Lender's bagel, you're taking in just 100 calories. You can also try Thomas' Toast-r-Cakes. They offer a number of sweet varieties, including apple cinnamon, banana nut, blueberry and corn, all somewhere between 90 and 110 calories.
Monday, February 19, 2001
Joanne Bednar
The Motivation Station
