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Exercise and Nutrition as Preventive Medicine

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What if you went to your doctor because you were not feeling very well and upon completion of a thorough examination, the doctor simply prescribes a healthy workout regimen and nutritious meal plan as your treatment? It seems as though this is going to become a more frequent occurrence for  preventative healthcare. As more and more individuals realize that they are not living very healthy lifestyles which could inevitably bring about diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, they may also be realizing that some form of self treatment is not that difficult to implement. Does it really take a doctor to tell someone that they need to eat healthy foods and exercise in order to prevent sickness? Whether it does or not, that is what doctors are going to be doing as is explained in an LA Times article published on the 9th of January 2013 by Melissa Healy.

Basically, the article explains that those that are obese and/or at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes will be “prescribed” the Diabetes Prevention Program. This program simply consists of a 12 week session in which a coach teaches the individuals to lose five to seven percent of their body weight, limit fat and caloric intake, track and control portion size and overall food intake, and ensure that they are getting at least 150 minutes of exercise each week.

Those that participated in and adhered to the aforementioned program were able to reach weight loss goals in approximately three months and were able to maintain a healthy weight for more than a year. The results were that they mitigated their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58 percent, as was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002.

This article also touches on how the government might implement these practices in regard to  healthcare and insurance. For example, these programs for weight loss and lifestyle modification will be available to patients through their health insurance. So health insurance could essentially pay for your gym membership. The take-away from that would be that in utilizing these preventative techniques, the government will be preventing illness rather than treating it at a greater cost later on.

Nonetheless, we all need to eat healthy, nutrient rich, properly portioned meals. it is also very important that we exercise regularly. We don’t need to visit a doctor to figure that out. Visit your local gym and talk to a Personal Trainer. They can help you on your way to a much healthier lifestyle, not to mention diabetes prevention before it becomes a concern at all. There is a saying that goes like this: “If you do not make time for exercise now, you will have to make time for illness later!” Make time to live a healthy lifestyle NOW.

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Erasmo

Fitness Results

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

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They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Well maybe so, maybe not. I guess it all depends on how you use it. According to an article published in Yahoo Sports on the 27th of December 2012, titled, “The Greatest Weight Loss Myth Ever Told,” we should be skipping breakfast in order to lose weight. The article states that the “greatest myth” is that breakfast IS the most important meal of the day and that we shouldn’t go without it.

The basic premise for this type of behavior is to decrease overall caloric intake. Well okay. Theoretically speaking a decrease in overall caloric intake should create a situation that induces weight loss. This seems rather logical if you ask me. However, in the article it explains the consideration of a study taken from Nutrition Journal in 2011 that provided evidence that of test subjects, the more calories that were consumed for breakfast, meant more calories consumed for the entire day. In comparison, with a smaller breakfast with fewer calories, or eating no breakfast at all, there was overall fewer calories consumed for the entire day.

So basically what the article concludes is that those individuals that desire to lose weight could or should consider reducing the size and/or calories in their breakfast meal. Keep in mind that this is only recommended as a simple adjustment to easily lose weight. Logical, right? The less calories consumed, the less possible fat storage.

Excellent! I highly recommend NOT skipping breakfast completely. Not eating is not a healthy way to lose weight. This will make you very hungry later on and increase the probability that you will over eat later on. Then when you do in fact fill yourself, the body remembers that it doesn’t like to feel hungry and since you are in the habit of skipping meals, why not store some fat for energy later.

The best way to tackle this concern without going hungry is to break those meals into smaller portions and eat more frequently. For example instead of having only breakfast, lunch, and dinner, break those meals down to their actual serving sizes first of all. When you do this you might think that you will probably still be hungry after eating. This may be because you are used to eating larger, less frequent meals until you are full. This needs to change. You are going to now have a healthy snack in between breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner. This continued consumption of much smaller portions of food with fewer calories throughout the day will keep your metabolism going because you are continually feeding your body. Therefore your body will not feel it needs to store fat because it is consuming and burning energy consistently. You can still reduce your overall caloric intake without going hungry or missing meals. To be honest with you, I am starving when I wake up. My body spent all night utilizing any nutrients from the prior day’s food consumption. The first thing on my mind when I wake up is FOOD! However, I exercise first then eat a healthy breakfast.

If you would like to know more about healthy ways to eat to lose weight, then you should look into the following article: “Eat to Boost Metabolism and All-Day Energy: Meal Planning Guide & Recipes.” This article provides an example of exactly what I described for breaking down and distributing meals for weight loss. But don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to try these methods for yourself and see what works best. I also encourage you to read the comments below the first article.

Fitness Results

Healthy Fast Food? That is what I am talking about!!

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Every now and then we are busy and out-and-about. It may be that we are running errands, attending appointments, or more frequently with the holiday season, shopping for gifts for our loved ones. One major concern of mine and of a lot of people is that we get hungry while doing all of this running around. It isn’t always easy to find a quick AND healthy meal for yourself that you will not feel guilty about. With the holiday season, we already have plenty of opportunities to over eat and it is usually with foods that are typically high in saturated fats, sugar, sodium, and cholesterol. So, do we really need to add to a potentially unhealthy situation by eating fast foods that are usually horrible for our bodies? I think not. That is why I am always looking for a quick and healthy way to sustain myself while I am on the go.

The other day my wife and I were out -and-about in West Los Angeles. Of course, as usual, we got rather hungry and needed to stop for some lunch. Luckily, we were able to spot a new place that sparked our interests simply because of the name. “My Fit Foods,” is the name of the place and we were really excited to see what there was to eat.  The place seemed very welcoming. Immediately upon entering we were greeting by a helpful and cheerful staff member that informed us all about what My Fit Foods was about. She let us  know that all the foods were already pre-portioned to recommended serving sizes so that you wouldn’t eat too much food for whatever entrée you decided to consume. The staff member informed us that there were vegetarian meals available which was definitely desirable because my wife and I try to eat mostly vegetables even though we don’t consider ourselves “vegan.” My Fit Foods also claims that their foods are “diabetic friendly, and that there are dairy, gluten, and soy free meals available as well.”

So when you go to pick your food, there are several refrigerators all lined toward the back of the store where you are free to grab the meal of your choice with different sections and labels for different tastes. So you choose your meal, and then take it to the checkout counter to make your purchase. After you make your purchase a helpful staff member will heat your meal for you. It is really quick and really easy. Then you either enjoy your food right there or take it to go.

My wife and I ordered a butternut squash soup that was spicy and tasted amazing! We also had a spicy egg plant dish with kale and a side of mashed sweet potatoes and another dish with a variety of vegetables served with quinoa. We then topped it off with a serving of  apple and celery slices with almond butter. To say the least my wife and I were very pleased to find such a quick and tasty selection of food. Now I know that there are many people out there that are not vegetarian so don’t be put off by the selection of foods that my wife and I chose. Trust me; there are plenty of entrees that provide beef, chicken, fish, pork, and turkey as well. I cannot cover everything in this blog. You have to check out their menu and website at www.myfitfoods.com. I believe that they could accommodate any taste in healthy and timely manner. That is what we are looking for when we are out and about right? We want food that won’t have us feeling unhealthy or guilty and in a quick and timely manner because we are busy people.

The only disadvantages of this place, if you see them as disadvantages, are that I only saw a couple of things labeled as “organic” and I didn’t see any “Non-GMO” or “Not-treated-with-hormone/antibiotic” labels either. The microwaving to heat the meals might put some people off too. But other than these, I highly recommend trying My Fit Foods.

So far, there are three locations for My Fit Foods in southern California and a fourth one coming soon if it isn’t already open. There is one in Hermosa Beach, Torrance, The one in  Santa Monica on Wilshire and Barrington (where my wife and I went), and one coming soon to West Hollywood. Stop in and try My Fit Foods for yourself. I did and I love the place. Hopefully they open more of these restaurants all over so that I can have an easier time getting healthy meals when I am on the go. [youtube=http://youtu.be/JQZATwqaRGk]

-Erasmo of Fitness Results

Planned Eating on a Budget

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By: Yvette Patterson

I’m a coupon clipper so you can imagine how difficult it can be to spend a few extra dollars on a healthy alternative, when there is no coupon involved.  Good nutrition goes hand in hand with training and exercise …or at least it should.  Try to remember the time and energy you put into creating your healthy body when you grocery shop.  How important is good nutrion to you?  The more important good nutrition rates to you the more you will be willing to spend a little extra on eating right.  Would you agree spending money on things you enjoy or feel passionate about is easy to do?  Figure out for yourself how much extra money you are willing to spend on nutrition dense food.  If your normal grocery bill is $100 a week would an extra $20 break the bank?

Along with a few extra bucks you also need to be willing to spend a little extra time in planning.  Before heading to the grocery store plan out your meals for the week.  Check your pantry and then write out a grocery list based on what you will need to accomplish the meals you planned.    Remember that convenience items like pre-cut veggies typically will increase your expenses.  Be ready to wash, peal and chop your fruits and veggies when you return from the store.  A little extra prep will go a long way in helping you achieve more nutritious eating.  Watch the prices between organic and conventional produce, you will be surprised that sometimes the difference is a few cents.  It’s worth spending the extra

organic produce

money on organic  produce when is available.  Pay attention to the season of produce, sales are better when produce is in its peak season,
buy lots, wash and freeze it for later.  As for proteins they too have a cycle typically every 4-5 weeks you will find chicken breast, pork loin, lean ground beef, etc on sale so stock up and freeze.  I personally try to purchase my meats and dairy all-natural, hormone free because I am a Mom to 3 great kids who do not need any extra help in their growth cycle!  Cereals and some grains also have their own sale cycle typically 4 months so if you have the room, stock up for savings.  Some would say invest in a freezer but I don’t think its necessary since the sale cycles are so frequent.  A freezer may cost you more in usage than the savings you generate depending on the age of the unit.

If your confused on what foods are nutritious hire a nutritionist or talk to your trainer at fitness results.  By hiring a trainer or More

Peak-Season… Awesome Find!

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Summer Fruit
Raspberries, One of Summers Finest!

by: Yvette Patterson

So I was trying to figure out what produce was in season and came across this website Epicurious with a map of  the United States Seasonal Ingredients.  Click on your State and find out what’s in season and remember the best prices on produce happens during Peak-Season!  Follow the drop down for great recipe ideas and descriptions.  I love it, use it for stocking up and freezing your fresh produce.  Freezing produce is a great way to enjoy your favorite fruits year around!  Check it out and tell me what you think, do you love it as much as I do???

Here is what is in season for Summer for California!

fruits

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