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Summertime, Baseball & Bad Food Choices
One of my favorite “treats” of the season!
Last Friday, my friend Rob and I were chatting about our weekend plans during an edit session. That’s when he asked a question that left me stumped: what could he eat that night at CitiField while watching the Mets take on the Reds that wouldn’t leave him feeling totally sluggish for the 10 mile run he had planned for the next day?
Listen, when I get to cheer on my beloved Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, I know it’s going to be hard to eat anything super healthy during the game. Know what? That’s okay! Part of my stadium experience is indulging in some of the higher-calorie items that you’ll probably never find in my kitchen like hot dogs, steak sandwiches, beer and brownie sundaes.
Rob and I ended up in a “deep” discussion to weigh his options. (Don’t worry, we still met our deadline!) I’ve never been to CitiField, but I was pretty sure he’d be hard pressed to find fresh grilled chicken or fish or a veggie-loaded salad. So, my simple suggestion was to watch his portions.
Instead of having two hot dogs or one hot dog and a sausage with peppers, I recommended he choose one or the other and have a bag of pretzels on the side rather than French fries or nachos. As for the libations, I told him to stick with light beer and drink a bottle of water in between each beer to cut down on the total number of suds consumed during the game.
Making small changes like cutting back portion sizes (if you really want those fries, share them with a friend!) and eating sensibly throughout the day before you head to a venue with less-than-optimal food choices are a couple of ways to enjoy yourself without going overboard. Also, the every-other-drink rule is one I follow whether I’m at a ballpark or a BBQ. It’s a great way to keep your alcohol consumption -and all the sugar and calories that go with it – in check. Since one of my mantras is “everything in moderation,” I find no reason to skimp on summertime fun!
In the end, Rob ate a small cheeseburger, drank only a couple of beers and loaded up on the water. On Saturday, he woke up and conquered his 10 mile run. Success!
This scenario illustrates what I consider to be the wonderful domino effect that fitness can have on your life. You get into a regular workout routine, look forward to your run, swim, kickboxing or Zumba classes and enjoy the endorphin rush you get from breaking a sweat. Before you know it, the last thing you’ll want to do is negate all your hard work by putting bad fuel into your body.
In a world filled with unhealthy relationships, diet and exercise are two things that happen to work in perfect harmony to keep you on the path to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
More Motivation to Move
With John O’Hurley, Actor & Cholesterol Patient. Photo by: Adam Rose
We’ve made it to another Workout Wednesday!
For those of you still looking for a kick in the you-know-what to get your muscles in motion, here’s a biggee: Exercise is one of the best ways to combat a problem affecting millions of Americans – high cholesterol.
I guess you could call it a hat trick. For the third time in a week, my two professional worlds collided to bring a well-known spokesperson into my production life as part of a campaign with a focus on healthy living. This time, the spokesperson is actor John O’Hurley, who many of you may recognize from his role as “J. Peterman” on Seinfeld or his moves on “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s also one of the 71 million Americans living with high cholesterol. (Remember my great business trip to Los Angeles last month? I can now tell you it was to work with John on some videos related to this awareness campaign made possible by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and the National Lipid Association.)
Yesterday, John, joined Dr. Eliot Brinton, a founding board member of the National Lipid Association for a six-hour satellite media tour to discuss the how important it is for patients and doctors to work together to manage a high cholesterol. They also discussed the release of a landmark study called “USAGE: Understanding Statin Use in America and Gaps in Education.” (Statins are the class of prescription drugs used to treat patients with high cholesterol.)
Doctors prescribe more than 200 million prescriptions for statins each year, but the USAGE survey found 75% of statin users stop therapy by the end of the first year – and many don’t talk to their physician before they stop taking their prescriptions. (To learn more about the study, visit www.statinusage.com)
It’s important to note that not everyone who finds out they have high cholesterol has to begin taking a statin immediately. In fact, John talked about how making healthier choices in his diet and starting a regular exercise program which included running and other cardiovascular activities, helped him get his numbers back in a healthy range.
That approach has worked for other people, too. Countless studies show exercise helps lower triglycerides, which at high levels are linked to coronary artery disease. Exercise is also linked to raising HDL levels in the blood, also known as the “good” cholesterol. The good news here is it’s also been shown you don’t have to work out at super high intensities to reap these benefits when it comes to your heart health. Doing a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise – swimming, running, walking, cycling, circuit training, Zumba – five to six days a week will do your heart and body good so you can continue to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Laura Loves Lean Protein!
With Mark Bucher, Founder & Executive Chef of The Burger Joint
I thought we’d kick off the new work week by talking turkey: literally!
Thanks to another fun collision between my two professional worlds, I learned how to add some lean and lower-calorie options to this summer’s grilling season. While I’m not a licensed nutritionist or registered dietitian, I still get lots of questions on how to cut calories and make better food choices. So, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to share a tip or two for the summer ahead!
At the end of last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Bucher, founder and executive chef of The Burger Joint, to film a segment for the upcoming July edition of “Health & Home Report.” (Hosting the show is part of my production job at West Glen Communications, Inc.) Our interview was one of many TV, radio and blog spots Mark participated in as part of a satellite media tour for the National Turkey Federation.
Here’s what happened when Mark, the burger guru, showed this non-culinary-expert (anyone who knows me will tell you I am NOT a cook!) how to use ground turkey to create the “Ultimate Turkey Burger.”
As Mark mentioned, you can get more ideas at eatturkey.com
Here’s to a great grilling season filled with light and lean meals that compliment your active lifestyle and all your efforts to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Fast Take Friday
TGIF!
In anticipation of the sunny, summery weekend they’re predicting here in New York City, I thought I’d wrap up the work week with a list of some of newest favorite iTunes. I’ll be listening to them during my workouts and chill time between now and Sunday. Enjoy!
Energy for the Elliptical or Tabatas (No rhyme or reason on music genres here, the tracks just keep me moving!):
- “How You Like me Now” The House That Dirt Built (I can’t get this song out of my head since recently seeing the movie “Horrible Bosses”!)
- “Unconditional Love” (feat. Melissa Loretta) Amurai
- “Titanium” (feat. Sia) David Guetta
- “Let’s Go” (feat. Ne-Yo) Calvin Harris
- “Scream” Usher
- “Looks That Kill” Motley Crue
- “Shout 2000” Disturbed
- “The Final Countdown” Europe
- “In de Ghetto” Crystal Waters
Mellow music for cooling down, stretching or sitting at the pool, beach or backyard:
- “Empty Streets” Late Night Alumni
- “Like a Waterfall: Flipside Ambient Remix” JES
- “Change Your Mind: Chill Version” (feat. Kyler England) Sunlounger
- “Complicated” Paul van Dyk
- “Everything” (feat. JES) Tiesto
- “Me & You: Dimitri Andreas & Madox Remix” (feat. Rami) Mr. Sam
- “Show Me” DJ Encore
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: good music is one of the things that keeps me motivated to move. I’m always looking for recommendations, so please don’t hesitate to share some of the tracks on your playlists. Here’s to the weekend ahead filled with good tunes, good times and plenty of reasons to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Get Some Sleep!
With Chris Freytag, Chairman of the Board, American Council on Exercise (ACE)
I know it’s Workout Wednesday, but I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss something too many of us are slacking on when it comes to trying to follow a healthy lifestyle: catching those much-needed zzzzzz’s.
If you woke up today after a less-than-restful night, you’re not alone. Here are a couple of eye-opening facts from the Better Sleep Council:
- 73% of Americans are only getting seven hours of sleep or less per night during the work week
- 70 million Americans are affected by sleep problems
Today, my two professional worlds collided and I was able to learn about the effects of not getting enough shut-eye from one of the country’s most respected health and fitness experts. I was thrilled to work with Chris Freytag as the producer on her satellite media tour where she discussed the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. She also revealed some interesting results from research conducted by Beautyrest to find out just how much sleep we’re missing out on across the country. Check out the video below to see my one-on-one interview with Chris.
(The interview will also be featured in the upcoming July edition of “Health & Home Report” – another element in my production life for West Glen Communications, Inc.)
Surprisingly in the Beautyrest survey, New York didn’t live up to its name as the “city that never sleeps.” It came in at number 22 on the “Top 30 US Cities Most In Need of Recharging” hit list. (Not so surprising? Las Vegas came in at number one.) Click here to find if you live in one of the country’s sleepiest cities!
Remember, if you’re striving to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, make sure to add getting more zzzz’s to your overall plan to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Make a Splash!
Pool at the Hotel Riu, Montego Bay, Jamaica
As we inch closer to the official start of the summer season and kick off another work week on a hot note here in New York City, I thought I’d offer a fun suggestion for how to stay active and beat the heat this season: GO GET WET!
In case you didn’t know it, swimming laps is one of the best ways to get all your major muscle groups in motion. It burns calories and improves cardiovascular health.
According to the freedieting.com website, at my age, height and weight, if I swim laps for just 30 minutes, I’ll burn between 282 – 295 calories. Add a couple of tabatas to the mix and I’ve got a great workout! So, I say whenever you have the opportunity, jump on in and enjoy! (And if you’re lucky enough to get some vacation time at the ocean or near a lake, those natural environments can add even more challenges to your swim.)
Don’t know how to swim, but feel comfortable enough to hang out in the shallow end of a pool? Walk your way or even jog from one side to the other. Hang out on the side of the wall and do leg raises and/or bicycles. And there’s always the “old-fashioned” treading water. If you’re lucky enough to get invited to a backyard BBQ with a pool, you can burn a few calories in between rounds of food or beverages by cooling off and doing some exercises under water. Another benefit: you can still socialize at the same time!
For all you parents out there, go ahead and join your kids in some of their pool games and enjoy some calorie-burning bonding time! Maybe this is the summer you treat the family to one of those pool-ready basketball backboards so you can shoot some hoops and perfect your slam-dunk in the water. (I can tell you, when I was enjoying my Jamaica vacation in March, the one afternoon I joined in a pretty intense water polo game, I was seriously ready for my nap afterward!)
Don’t have a pool, but you do have a lawn? Why not set up a sprinkler and get the blood pumping by chasing the kids around for a game of sprinkler tag? No kids – no problem! Who says grown-ups can’t have some fun, too?
For all you landlubbers, there’s always badminton, frisbee, wiffle ball and dodge ball. It can be fun to use some childhood favorites to add some variety to your workout routine. Of course, for all these outdoor activities, don’t forget to apply and re-apply the sunscreen and stay hydrated with non-alcoholic drinks, preferably water.
This has always been my favorite time of year for adding some extra fun to my typical fitness routine. By taking advantage of Mother Nature’s warm temperament, it’s prime time to find activities that get your heart rate up while keeping you smiling and moving forward on the path to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Sweet Summer Snacks
As we inch even closer to the official start of the easy, breezy days of summer, I wanted to end the work week on a light note.
So, I thought I’d offer a list of some of my favorite seasonal healthy snack options:
- Carrots: I always have a package of baby carrots in my fridge. On Sunday’s, you’ll find me making grab-and-go serving sizes of carrots for each day of the work week. I usually add a serving of either cherry tomatoes, red, orange or yellow pepper strips and/or celery. Munching on carrots gives you that “crunch” sensation similar to eating pretzels or chips, but with benefits like beta carotene and other nutrients, they pack a much healthier punch!
- Watermelon: This is probably my favorite summertime treat! Low in calories, but loaded with sweet flavor, it’s a great way to keep my sweet tooth cravings in check. (Pineapple comes in as a close second.)
- Frozen grapes: There are three calories in a grape, so a bunch of frozen ones is a low-cal and healthy alternative to heavier desserts. Freezing them just adds some coolness on even the hottest days of the season!
- Frozen blueberries. Mix them into a plain non-fat plain Greek yogurt for a protein-packed low-guilt serving of “frozen yogurt.”
- Iced green tea: Next to cardio, iced green tea may be my biggest summertime addiction. Aside from giving me a needed energy boost in the afternoon, iced green tea also offers Vitamin C, antioxidants and bioflavonoids. Some studies suggest bioflavonoids help keep the arteries healthy and even prevent the development of cataracts.
- Finally, for all you picnic lovers, check out this link for some great portable recipes that don’t pack tons of guilt!
Would love to know what YOU love to snack on in the summertime!
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead filled with all your seasonal fitness and healthy food faves and plenty of opportunities to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Pushing Through the Pain
On this Workout Wednesday, I thought I’d address what many consider a “touchy” topic: pain.
I’m currently starting my second week of physical therapy for a lower back and hip issue. I’d like to say the problem just popped up and I got on it immediately, but I’d be lying.
This problem began back in September of 2011. What started as a dull pain in the left side of my lower back and hip area turned into tingling and numbness down the front of my left thigh, calf and all the way down to my toes. Lifting weight over my head, kettlebell swings and push-ups made the pain worse. So what did I do? I pushed through it.
After a couple of months, getting out of bed in the morning became painful and sitting at my desk at work gradually for longer than 20 minutes became practically unbearable. I finally went to my sports medicine specialist last month to get checked out. An MRI showed I have a bulging disc in my lumbar spine. (Specifically between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebral bodies, commonly referred to as L4/L5.)
The “mystery,” however, is that the MRI showed the disc issue is on the right side of my lower back back while the symptoms I’ve suffered have affected the left side of my body. Is my left side compensating for the dysfunction on my right or is the disc something I’ve had for years and not even part of the problem? This is what my doctor and now my physical therapist are trying to figure out. Meanwhile, I just want the pain to go away!
The bottom line is I’m pretty angry with myself for ignoring the pain for so long. Basically, I didn’t follow one of the cardinal rules I share with my own personal training clients and anyone who asks for advice on following a safe and effective fitness program: Listen to your body!
So, I thought this was the perfect time to remind everyone when you should NOT wait out the aches and pains:
- If you’re in an accident or experience sudden trauma. If there’s no help where you are, get to an emergency room or urgent care center. It’s also a good idea to get checked out if your muscle or joint soreness lasts more than 2 – 3 days following a vigorous workout or if you tried a new sport, group exercise class or other activity (e.g. gardening) around the house.
- If your pain affects every day functions. Does it hurt to raise your arms overhead in the shower or bend down to pick up your child? If your knee is bothering you when you walk up the stairs, guess what? You could end up with pain in your hip and back, too, as your body makes compensations to keep moving. Now you have pain in more than just one area of your body.
- If you have chronic but mild pain in any area of the body that doesn’t change no matter what you. This is what happened to me. What you may feel as muscle pain in your back that you have had for months could be coming from several other areas not even related to your spine.
Click here for a link to great list from WebMD about pains you should NEVER ignore.
While we all have different tolerance levels when it comes to pain, I hope sharing my experience is an example of why it’s not smart to take chances. I haven’t been completely sidelined, but I have had to slow down. As a bona fide fitness fanatic, that’s not easy! At the end of the day, listening to your body is probably one of the smartest things you can do to make sure you continue safely on your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Using Fitness to Make a Difference
If you’re looking for ways to add some variety to your fitness routine, why not turn your passion for being healthy into a vehicle for helping others?
As many of us look for ways to take our workouts outdoors, this is the perfect time of year to sign up for a walk, run or other athletic event in a town near you that raises money and awareness for everything from cancer to childhood disabilities. Just this past Saturday, my friend Rob laced up for a 5K run in Central Park to benefit the YAI Network, an organization that’s been helping people with developmental disabilities and their families since 1957.
Of course, there are also plenty of fun and meaningful indoor fitness activities to join. I was so excited when my weekend mail included my ticket to the June 29th Zumbathon event at Roseland Ballroom. The proceeds will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation and its fight against Parkinson’s Disease. The event co-stars the legendary Tanya Beardsley, who I was lucky to have as my instructor for my licensing workshop earlier this year. I can’t wait to enjoy a heart-pounding good time with some of the gals I met at that workshop, and make some new Zumba friends. The best part will be knowing I shook my booty for a great cause!
If you’re looking for ways to combine your love of fitness and the desire to do good deeds, I found a pretty cool website called CharityHappenings.org. You enter your home state or zip code, the range of dates you’re looking for, and you can then select from a list of activities ranging from golf outings to dancing. You can even narrow your selections by causes ranging from animals to autism.
Whatever you do, another bonus to signing up for a fitness event is you can encourage members of your fitness family to join in the fun. Not only will you motivate each other to push through the last mile or spin cycle, but you get to enjoy breaking a sweat with people you’ve probably been hoping to spend more time with anyway!
We all know the health benefits exercise has to offer, but how great is it being able to turn your heart-pounding moves into positive energy for the world around you? I can’t think of a better reason to continue the search for the countless ways to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Friday’s Food For Thought: The Liquid Edition
Welcome to June!
We’ve had some warm and sticky weather here in New York City since the Memorial Day weekend, so I thought it was the perfect time to remind everyone about the importance of staying hydrated.
I often talk about the fact that the human body is an amazing machine, but it’s important to remember that machine is made up of two-thirds water. Like anything else, if you want the body to keep running properly, you need to give it what it needs.
Here are some of the benefits of staying hydrated:
- Regulation of body temperature
- Alleviating fluid retention
- Distribution of nutrients and oxygen to cells and organs
- Improvement of metabolic function
- Decreasing appetite
I’m still waiting to feel the effects of that last bullet point. I do my best to drink the recommended 5-7 glasses of water each day, but I don’t know how much effect it’s had on my overall appetite. (I love to eat!) However, I admit if I’m hungry and nowhere near a healthy snack, drinking a glass of water can stave off my hunger just long enough to avoid eating something I’ll regret later. (Chewing gum works in a pinch, too.)
Now let’s look at some of the physiologic effects of what happens when you don’t consume enough water and become dehydrated:
- Decreased blood volume
- Increased heart rate
- Increased core temperature
- Sodium retention
- Decreased sweat rate
Think of it this way: the body can go for a long period of time without food, but can only survive for a few days without water.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) offers the following guidelines for drinking water when exercising:
- Drink 16 oz of water two hours before exercise. In warmer weather, you can add an additional 8 – 16 oz.
- During exercise, drink 20 to 40 oz for every hour of exercise.
- If you exercise for more than 60 minutes, you can re-hydrate with a sports drink containing up to 8% carbohydrate to replace both fluid and dwindling muscle glycogen stores.
- When exercising for 60 minutes or less, water is best. (My personal choice).
Here’s how I rationalize that last point: If I’m pressed for time and can only squeeze in a 30-minute elliptical session, I’ll burn up to 340 calories. During that time, if I guzzle a sports drink like Gatorade or Vitamin Water, I’ll consume 125 calories. So I walk away from a shorter than normal workout, and I’ve only burned 215 calories. That is not the post-cardio high I was looking for!
I realize some people simply can’t stand the blandness of water and need a little flavor. Luckily, there are lots of zero-calorie flavored water options available. Remember, having a flavored drink with zero calories (or 5 calories if you add one of those flavor-crystal packets to your water bottle) is better than NOT drinking anything at all.
In the end, raising a water bottle to your health is an easy way to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
lauralovesfitness 