Steps to Success

1-Set your schedule and stick to it - pick a time of the day and don’t vary. Consistency builder habit which leads to great results. Set your goal for at least 3 weeks. In 3 weeks, a habit is learned.

2-Set realistic goals. It is important to set a goal and achieve it, adding difficulty as you can handle it.

3-Chart your progress. Place it on the refrigerator where you can see it often. Put a picture of your favorite ‘in shape person’ next to the chart to remind you where you’re headed.

4-If you fall off the horse, collect yourself and get back on! That’s OK. Just re-evaluate your goals if required, but by all means, begin again!

5-Begin each session by stretching and loosening your muscles through a warm up routine.

6-Do the exercises slowly and in a controlled smooth and fluid manner. Steady effort will build strong muscles.

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Beans rich source of healthy antioxidants; black beans highest

Courtesy of Todays Senior’s network

Although researchers haven’t come up with a foolproof way to avoid the indelicate side effect of beans, they have found yet another reason why you should eat more of them. In addition to their high fiber and protein content, a new study finds that beans, particularly black ones, are a rich but overlooked source of antioxidants (considered important fighters against aging) and may provide health benefits similar to some common fruits, including grapes, apples and cranberries.

The study, which researchers say is the first to link bean color to antioxidant activity, is scheduled to appear in the Dec. 31 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

The researchers tested the antioxidant activity of flavonoids — plant pigments — found in the skin of 12 common varieties of dry beans. Antioxidants destroy free radicals, which are highly active chemicals whose excess has been linked to heart disease, cancer and aging.

Black beans came out on top, having more antioxidant activity, gram for gram, than other beans, followed by red, brown, yellow and white beans, in that order. In general, darker colored seed coats were associated with higher levels of flavonoids, and therefore higher antioxidant activity, says lead investigator Clifford W. Beninger, Ph.D., a research associate at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

“Black beans are really loaded with antioxidant compounds. We didn’t know they were that potent until now,” says Beninger, formerly a researcher with the USDA’s Sugarbeet and Bean Research Unit, located at Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he worked on the project under the leadership of co-author George L. Hosfield, Ph.D., a geneticist who recently retired from the USDA.

The study found that one class of compounds in particular, anthocyanins, were the most active antioxidants in the beans. Based on a previously published study of the anthocyanin content of black beans, Beninger found that the levels of anthocyanins per 100 gm serving size of black beans was about 10 times the amount of overall antioxidants in an equivalent serving size of oranges and similar to the amount found in an equivalent serving size of grapes, apples and cranberries.

Beninger acknowledges that some of the healthy antioxidants in beans will be lost in water upon cooking, but says that antioxidant levels will still remain high. Although dry beans were used in this study, frozen or canned beans may have similar antioxidant activity, he adds.

Human studies are still needed to confirm the link between bean antioxidants and health and until then, no one knows how many beans one must eat to obtain maximum health benefits, Beninger notes. But the finding adds antioxidants to a growing list of healthy chemicals found in the popular legume, which is also rich in protein, carbohydrates, folate, calcium and fiber. The researchers hope to use information gleaned from this study to help develop new varieties of beans that pack even more disease-fighting power.

U.S. consumers gobble up an estimated 8 pounds of beans per person each year, with pinto beans and navy beans being the most popular. Red beans also enjoy immense popularity, particularly during colder months, as a staple of chili. Although not as popular in the U.S. as other varieties, black beans are a main ingredient in many international dishes.

Note: Funding for this study was provided by the USDA and the Michigan Bean Commission.

Black Bean Dip receipt courtesy of www.myskinnyswitchsecret.com

Black Bean Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients 1 1/2 ounces ham, lean, reduced sodium 1/4 cup black beans, canned/cooked 1 tablespoon TACO BELL Thick N’ Chunky Mild Salsa 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin 1/8 teaspoon cumin, ground 8 pieces tortilla chips, baked, unsalted 8 fluid ounces water Preparation Heat ham under broiler until it begins to crisp. Meanwhile, place black beans, salsa, olive oil and cumin in blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. When ham is crispy, remove from broiler and dice. Gently mix into bean dip. Serve with tortilla chips and a glass of water.

Diet Exchange Bread/Starch: 1.0 Fruit: 0.0 Fat Free Milk: 0.0 Reduced Fat Milk: 0.0 Whole Milk: 0.0 Other Carbohydrates: 0.0 Vegetable: 0.0 Lean Meat: 0.0 Medium Fat Meat: 0.0 High Fat Meat: 0.0 Plant Protein: 0.0 Fat: 0.5 Alcohol: 0.0

Nutrition Information Amount Per Serving Calories 200 Calories from Fat 45 Total Fat 5 g Saturated Fat 1 g Cholesterol 20 mg Sodium 680 mg Total Carbohydrate 26 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Sugars 1 g Protein 13 g Calcium 4% Iron 10% Not a significant source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C

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Are you Walking for Good Health?

My husband ordered myself and he a Pedometer…now what in the world is a Pedomter? But something that helps you keep track of how many steps you take a day…and the ‘magical number’ we’ve heard to help keep you healthy is ‘10,000 steps per day’! And today, being my first day with the Pedometer, I took 6,818 steps…and that is with walking a little over a mile on the treadmill…so what if you don’t do a mile on the treadmill? Well, that means, in order for you to get that ‘10,000 steps per day in’ you are going to have to do a lot more walking…

But when you have something like the Pedometer, which costs about $20 to $30 - it helps make you accountable, and if that is what you are looking for, the Pedometer is for you. You set your settings, then clip it to your belt and away you go. You don’t really think about it unless you want to see how many steps you have taken, and believe me, you take more steps than you think when you are up and about. But can you make a point to get your ‘10,000 steps in a day’? That is the question.

By having the Pedometer on, it tracks how many steps you take a day and if you are not at the magical ‘10,000′ then you can do extra walking to get there. You can get out in the evenings, take the kids to the park to play while you walk around the track. One mile gets you about 2,500 steps. That means you are one quarter toward your goal. You’ll need to think of other ways you can get where you want to be. Parking in the ‘back 40′ of a parking lot is a good way, go to the mall and just walk and window shop is another good thing to do. Also, making a couple of trips around the grocery store before finally grocery shopping works. Start a social group, get family and friends together at a certain time to walk, it makes it much more interesting and accountable.

And just think, if you can get to 10,000 steps per day, what great condition, health and fitness, you will eventually be in, and all by just taking steps. No hard work out or big time running, just walking 10,000 steps per day!

What better way to do it than just do it - Take the first step!

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How to walk off belly fat

Courtesy of CNN.com- By Tracy Teare

Sure, you know walking is good exercise. But here’s some­thing you might not realize: You can give your waistline (and other body parts) a serious trimming by tweaking that walk around the block.

The three women below each walked off at least 35 pounds, much of it around the middle, using one of these secret weapons: plyometrics, hills, or intervals. The strategies also strengthened their legs more quickly than plain old walking sessions, so they could walk longer and faster to burn more calories.

After six weeks of walking four to six times a week, you will feel stronger and look slimmer where it counts. Health.com: Walk a little, live a lot (longer)

Secret weapon: Plyometrics

Adding bounding, jumping, and skipping moves (called plyometrics) to your walk is a fun way to spike the intensity. You’ll burn up to twice as many calories –and significantly more belly fat — per minute than you would just walking at a moderate pace.

“These moves vary the walking pattern your body has grown accustomed to, so you engage different muscle fibers,” says Joy Prouty, veteran Florida-based trainer and American College of Sports Medicine-certified health-fitness director. “And that helps shape and define your body.” Health.com: Walk this way

It worked for Claire Jefferson-Glipa, 31, of Riverside, California.

Adding one-minute bursts of plyo­metrics to the Stroller Strides classes she leads each week — along with making healthy changes in her eating habits –helped Jefferson-Glipa drop 36 pounds in just nine months. “It’s so exciting that my clothes are looser,” she says.

Make it work for you

Try this workout from Prouty, gradually adding more plyo­metrics as your fitness level improves. It can be done either outside or on the treadmill (just be sure to step off the machine to do the plyometrics moves).

• 1. Walk 15 minutes, building to a moderate pace.

• 2. Do 30 High-Knee Steps forward (alternating legs); skip for 30 seconds, then walk at a moderate pace for one minute.

• 3. Do 15 Traveling Lateral Squats (turn and move sideways as you squat) in slow motion, followed by five Squat Jumps (squat slightly, then swing arms up as you jump). Knee problems? Rise up on your toes instead of jumping.

• 4. Walk at a moderate pace for 10 minutes.

• 5. Repeat step 2.

• 6. Walk for five minutes at a moderate pace, then five minutes at a slow pace to cool down.

Secret weapon: Hills

To triple the number of calories you burn, go to where it’s hilly, Prouty says. Walking on hills can burn tons of calories and fat, so you’ll work that stomach pooch off faster than you would on flat terrain. Uphill walks are great for strengthening and shaping your lower half — plus, you’ll feel stronger and go faster on level ground. Health.com: Tips if you don’t have time to walk

It worked for Robyn Kammerer, 33, of Rowayton, Connecticut.

Kammerer dropped 50 postpregnancy pounds in four months by eating healthier and walking every day on the hills near her home. “If I’m out of breath at the top of one of these killer hills,” she says, “I remind myself that I can now wear skirts that haven’t fit in years.”

Make it work for you

Start by changing your walking routine: Twice a week, replace 25 percent of your flat route with short or gradual hills. (New to walking? Start with 20-minute walks that include five minutes of hills.) After two weeks, seek out longer or steeper hills, and add 10 percent more climbing each week. Your goal is to do between one-half and two-thirds of your workout on hills.

Live in a flat area? Substitute this treadmill climb: After a 10-minute warm-up, gradually increase the incline from 0 to 2 percent for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, gradually decrease the incline in the same amount of time, finishing with 5 to 10 minutes of flat walking. Each week or two, increase the incline by 1 percent.

Secret weapon: Intervals

Alternating moderately paced walking with short, faster-paced intervals lets you amp up your walk without tiring yourself out. You’ll also dump stomach weight more quickly and torch more calories than you would on a steady-paced walk. By peppering in a 30-minute walk with 10 one-minute speed bursts, for example, you can nearly double your calorie burn. Health.com: The ultimate walk-it-off plan

It worked for Virginia Cox, 42, of Belmont, Massachusetts.

Doing 15 miles’ worth of interval walking a week (plus cutting down on starchy foods and sweet treats) helped Cox shed 45 pounds of baby weight in just six months. “I look and feel great because of walking,” Cox says. “Plus, I now fit into the jeans that I wore when I was in my 20s.” An unexpected bonus: She’s sleeping much better, too.

Make it work for you

Warm up at an easy pace, then walk at a moderate pace for 10 minutes; increase speed for one minute, Prouty says. Do another 3 minutes at a moderate pace; repeat one or two times, then do 10 moderately-paced minutes.

As you get stronger, add more intervals, aiming to alternate 1-minute speed bursts with one minute of moderate walking

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8 Ways to eat more healthy

How The Biggest Loser Contestants Eat

Like most overweight Americans, many of The Biggest Loser contestants have a history of eating and drinking the wrong types of food and beverages, and consuming too little of the right kinds.

At the ranch, the contestants learn to:

1. Veggie-load in every way possible.

2. Amp up their fruit intake by skipping sugar juices and adding fresh fruit to nutritious smoothies.

3. Learn to love (and pronounce) quinoa (KEEN-wah)—it’s a grain and a protein!

4. Eat lean cuts of meat and poultry.

5. Eat sandwiches with one slice of Ezekiel bread, which is full of fiber.

6. Select whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat noodles.

7. Eat fish several times a week.

8. Minimize consumption of red meat and high-fat dairy foods.

Courtesy of enews@biggestloserclub.com

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How to Increase Exercise in Daily Life

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Pickens County Bike-A-Thon

Are you a biker? Would you like to be? And if you are/were, would it make you feel good to know that you’re ‘biking’ helps others?

Well, A few people in Pickens County, GA are about to put on a Bike-A-Thon for a GREAT cause!!! It is for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Pickens County!!!

The Bike-A-Thon will be right before the Walk-A-Thon, Which is in 63 days at the Lee Newton Memorial Park, Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia on, Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25 and is for the Relay For Life of Pickens County, GA

We need volunteers!!! Let me know if you are interested in doing this Challenge! The Ride!!! ~ It might be a mile or Ten Miles or a 65 mile ride like my niece, Courtney, is doing in San Francisco for the bike marathon called the “Cinderella Classic” in SF. If they can do it, we here in Pickens County can do it!

Whatever the miles, it is going to be well worth it - the Bike-A-Thon will be tough but we can do it. Let me know that you are willing to be a biker…send me an email at Beth@getfitjasper.com and tell me you’re in!!! Whose with me!!! Let me know!

A bike-a-thon ~ riding a bike, something we all did as kids, its fun, its good exercise and by doing it now, its for a great cause…come on-let’s do it together!!!

I appreciate each and every one of you who are willing to do this Bike-A-Thon, it will be fun, it will be challenging but in the end, it will be worth it!

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Top 10 Healthy Facts of Fitness

Courtesy of www.healthy-lifestyle.most-effective-solution.com

Are you sitting on the couch dipping a cookie into your coffee and feeling guilty?

Is your quality of life being spoiled because you are tired and sluggish?

Well, read on and find out what you can do to improve the situation

And maybe it will inspire you to get off the couch?

Here are the top 10 healthy facts of fitness you should know.

Enhances Brain Power

The more exercise we take part in the more energetic we become and the serotonin levels in the brain increase dramatically. Serotonin makes us more alert and if we are fully alert we are then far more productive. Certain studies have been carried out and the results are able to tell us that anyone who takes part in regular exercise will be that little extra productive in the workplace. Most companies recognize that a fit workforce makes for health care costs being lowered, less time off work sick and the optimization of working hours.

Stress Reducer

Exercise lifts your mood which in turn combats depression and low moods. As you exercise you become aware that there is ‘less time to reflect’ therefore the distraction of exercise relaxes you. This impacts on everyone who comes into contact with you in your everyday life. Your family and working relationships are improved.

Energy Booster

It is pretty common for people to say they are too tired to exercise, but exercise has the opposite effect, rather than tire you it actually energizes you. Just try slipping a dance or workout tape into the video for thirty minutes and exercise along with it, the results are conclusive. The workout will have released those valuable endorphins and your energy levels will be renewed. This has the knock on effect of making the everyday jobs take on a different light.

Fitting Fitness Into A Busy Schedule Is Not That Hard

You need to plan wisely to fit exercise into your everyday life. As time goes on it will come naturally, all too soon playing ball with the kids or a family bike ride will become an every day occurrence. Rather than meet a client in the office why not meet them at the local golf club. You don’t have to tie yourself to unnecessary gym visits or try to make time for long workouts. Ten minutes to spare? Then do ten minutes of valuable exercise. Two or three ten minute sessions of brisk walking or skipping followed by another walk later on in the evening is fine! A daily thirty minute session of exercise will help to fight disease and keep you fit, if you can spare more time then all well and good.

Brings Friends And Family Together

Social support is often the key to a successful fitness plan, if you have friends or family who are there to keep you company then the chances are that you will keep on going with the exercise. It can be good to take a walk with a friend or your spouse, or maybe play  a tennis match with your brother. If you have lost a substantial amount of weight and want to keep it that way then enroll the help of family and friends rather than go it alone.

Exercise Keeps Illness At Bay

Exercising plays a vital part in warding off disease. It has often been documented that exercise can help alleviate some of the signs of aging. High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks are all diseases linked with obesity and being in an unfit state. Introduce a fitness plan into your life and it can help ward off these conditions. Regular exercise can strengthen the joints and muscles and give the immune system a considerable boost. The power of exercise cannot and must not be understated.

Good For The Heart

The heart obviously counts as our most important muscle and it invites exercise to strengthen it. Exercise and fitness plan an important part, it makes the heart and the cardio-vascular system efficient. As the heart gains efficiency it is able to pump to its full potential. A strong heart pumps  much more blood with each beat, so the heart doesn’t have to beat as fast to keep pace. After a couple of exercise sessions you will notice that your body is already starting to welcome the new routine and is responding positively.

Exercise For Extra Food

Of course each time you take exercise you will inevitably burn some calories and if you have the odd treat then no harm will come of it. Muscle burns far more calories when resting than body fat, so the more muscle composition you have then the resting metabolic rate is also higher. In short it is possible to give yourself the odd treat when you are continuing to keep exercising.

Improve Performance

After embarking on an exercise plan it is quite possible that a few weeks of practicing fitness will have enhanced your overall muscle tone. You personally may notice slight body changes as the muscles get stronger. Constant exercise will almost certainly make you more flexible, improve performance and give you more strength. Given time your balance and reaction will significantly improve also.

Are you sitting on the couch dipping a cookie into your coffee and feeling guilty?

Is your quality of life being spoiled because you are tired and sluggish?

Well, read on and find out what you can do to improve the situation

And maybe it will inspire you to get off the couch?

Here are the top 10 healthy facts of fitness you should know.

Enhances Brain Power

The more exercise we take part in the more energetic we become and the serotonin levels in the brain increase dramatically. Serotonin makes us more alert and if we are fully alert we are then far more productive. Certain studies have been carried out and the results are able to tell us that anyone who takes part in regular exercise will be that little extra productive in the workplace. Most companies recognize that a fit workforce makes for health care costs being lowered, less time off work sick and the optimization of working hours.

Stress Reducer

Exercise lifts your mood which in turn combats depression and low moods. As you exercise you become aware that there is ‘less time to reflect’ therefore the distraction of exercise relaxes you. This impacts on everyone who comes into contact with you in your everyday life. Your family and working relationships are improved.

Energy Booster

It is pretty common for people to say they are too tired to exercise, but exercise has the opposite effect, rather than tire you it actually energizes you. Just try slipping a dance or workout tape into the video for thirty minutes and exercise along with it, the results are conclusive. The workout will have released those valuable endorphins and your energy levels will be renewed. This has the knock on effect of making the everyday jobs take on a different light.

Fitting Fitness Into A Busy Schedule Is Not That Hard

You need to plan wisely to fit exercise into your everyday life. As time goes on it will come naturally, all too soon playing ball with the kids or a family bike ride will become an every day occurrence. Rather than meet a client in the office why not meet them at the local golf club. You don’t have to tie yourself to unnecessary gym visits or try to make time for long workouts. Ten minutes to spare? Then do ten minutes of valuable exercise. Two or three ten minute sessions of brisk walking or skipping followed by another walk later on in the evening is fine! A daily thirty minute session of exercise will help to fight disease and keep you fit, if you can spare more time then all well and good.

Brings Friends And Family Together

Social support is often the key to a successful fitness plan, if you have friends or family who are there to keep you company then the chances are that you will keep on going with the exercise. It can be good to take a walk with a friend or your spouse, or maybe play  a tennis match with your brother. If you have lost a substantial amount of weight and want to keep it that way then enroll the help of family and friends rather than go it alone.

Exercise Keeps Illness At Bay

Exercising plays a vital part in warding off disease. It has often been documented that exercise can help alleviate some of the signs of aging. High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks are all diseases linked with obesity and being in an unfit state. Introduce a fitness plan into your life and it can help ward off these conditions. Regular exercise can strengthen the joints and muscles and give the immune system a considerable boost. The power of exercise cannot and must not be understated.

Good For The Heart

The heart obviously counts as our most important muscle and it invites exercise to strengthen it. Exercise and fitness plan an important part, it makes the heart and the cardio-vascular system efficient. As the heart gains efficiency it is able to pump to its full potential. A strong heart pumps  much more blood with each beat, so the heart doesn’t have to beat as fast to keep pace. After a couple of exercise sessions you will notice that your body is already starting to welcome the new routine and is responding positively.

Exercise For Extra Food

Of course each time you take exercise you will inevitably burn some calories and if you have the odd treat then no harm will come of it. Muscle burns far more calories when resting than body fat, so the more muscle composition you have then the resting metabolic rate is also higher. In short it is possible to give yourself the odd treat when you are continuing to keep exercising.

Improve Performance

After embarking on an exercise plan it is quite possible that a few weeks of practicing fitness will have enhanced your overall muscle tone. You personally may notice slight body changes as the muscles get stronger. Constant exercise will almost certainly make you more flexible, improve performance and give you more strength. Given time your balance and reaction will significantly improve also.

Don’t Make Weight Loss Your Main Goal

Often weight loss is the primary aim of any fitness or exercise program. But what happens when after a few weeks we see very little result, the scales are registering almost the same weight? Yes, you have guessed, we feel disillusioned and just abandon the whole idea. This is why a fitness plan has to be approached in a different way altogether, look upon it as a way of staying healthy, a way of keeping fit and active. Stop and take time to notice that you are feeling less stressed and are more energized. Leave the weighing scales where they belong. Treat exercise as a part of your daily routine and not just something that has to be endured, you never know you may be pleasantly surprised

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The Exercise Habit

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

How much exercise do I need?

Source

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

American Academy of Family Physicians

Reviewed/Updated: 12/09
Created: 01/96

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Get Active

February is American Heart Month

Courtesy of American Heart Association

Finding time in our overscheduled lives for exercise is a challenge for all busy Americans. Especially for those who are parents or are working full-time or both. But the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices it takes to carve out that time. And anyone who has successfully managed to do so will tell you how happy they are to have found the time. They’ll tell you how much more energy they have, and how they are actually able to do more than before they started getting regular exercise. So no more excuses! Take an active role in determining your future. You deserve to give yourself the gift of living well with good health.

Why is Getting Active So Important?

The facts are clear: By exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength and ability to function well. Physical activity = living a longer, healthier life.

Regular Physical Activity Helps: Lower blood pressure, increase HDL “good” cholesterol in your blood, control blood sugar by improving how your body uses insulin, reduce feelings of stress, control body weight and make you feel good about yourself.

American Heart Association Guidelines

We suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. Or a combination of moderate and vigorous. Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories, such as climbing stairs or playing sports. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. Strength and stretching exercises are best for overall stamina and flexibility.

The simplest, positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. It’s enjoyable, free, easy, social and great exercise. Check out the Start Walking program to get going with expert advice.

Get Active Success Story:

Mike Wilson, Associate Superintendent of Schools. Previously worked with the American Heart Association and company leader for the Start! Walking Program; City-wide chairman for the 2007 American Heart Walk.
I applied for the Start! Challenge program because of a deep commitment to work with the American Heart Association again and to change my life. I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age forty-four. I had a twin brother die of sudden death congestive heart failure at age forty-three. I recently lost my youngest sister the same way.

After my sister died, I reviewed my lifestyle and have determined it needs to change. I have used several excuses to sit around, do no exercising, and have gained weight. I also know that without this change, I am a prime candidate to die of this disease at a young age. I want to enjoy my later years and be around to watch my grandsons grow up and be able to spend quality time with them.

In addition, I want to serve as an example to those people like me. I want to be an example that people with those inflictions can work, exercise, eat properly and can improve their physical well-being. No more excuses! We can do it!

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