Posts filed under 'Body Image - Self Talk'
It is the dish you have all been waiting for…dessert! A Holiday dinner is not complete without the finishing course. Because we are trying to avoid the extra Holiday weight gain, it is nice to have healthy options for that special dessert treat! Enjoy!
Candy Cane Peppermint Mousse
Serves: 8 Serving Size: 1/4 cup Calories: 80 Fat: 1
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
4 Egg whites, large
3 cups Fat free Cool Whip, thawed
2 tsp Peppermint extract
Optional Red food coloring
8 Peppermint candies, crushed
Separate egg whites into a medium sized mixing bowl. Let eggs come to room temperature. (Discard egg yolks.)
Beat room temperature eggs on high, gradually adding sugar, until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold Cool Whip into beaten egg whites, along with peppermint extract.
For a candy cane appearance, swirl in red food coloring. Do not mix until all mousse is completely red.
Garnish with peppermint candies.
Refrigerate or freeze for about 2 hours before serving.
December 17th, 2007
Is your hometown on the list? Number one was Memphis, TN, with a 34% obesity rate, which is over the national average.
See where your city landed in this slide show.
Unfortunately, obesity affects over one third of the American population and does not discriminate between race, ethnicities, socioeconomic status or gender. The causes, researchers say, are numerous; which include a diet rich in calories and low nutrients, sedentary lifestyle and bad habits. Not only does this epidemic have many causes, but also brings major costs. Costs associated with obesity are as much as $93 billion to the nation’s medical bill each year, with over 112,000 people losing their lives due to obestiy related diseases. These include Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Forbes magazine collected data from the 2006 CDC reports on Body Mass Index (BMI) collected through phone interviews with those in metropolitan areas. Not only are larger metropolitan areas affected by obesity, but small rural towns struggle as well. For the survey purposes, only larger cities were questioned.
So how do we fix this national problem? Experts recommend a community wide lifestyle change, with a healthier diet, increased physical activity and environments that promote exercise.
Visit entire article here.
December 11th, 2007
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the levels of obesity in American adults is at a temporary stand still. About 33 percent of adult men and 35 percent of adult women in the U.S. were obese in 2005-2006. That equals to more than 72 million people!! Even though these rates were slightly higher than the previous year, the numbers were not considered statistically significant.
In general, the obesity rate in US adults has been climbing from 15 percent in 1980. Since then there have been occasional plateaus.
According to the new reports, the obesity rates were most common in adults age 40 to 59. Within this age group, racial disparities were found with obesity rates at 39 percent in white women and 51 percent in Mexican-American and African American women. However, there were no racial or ethnic disparities found within the male population.
The report also showed that at least one third of obese adults had not been told by a doctor or health care provider that they were overweight.
Source: CNN.com and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
November 29th, 2007
Don’t let Thanksgiving be an excuse to let yourself off the calorie counting hook. Experts advise not to throw out all of your healthy habits due to the holiday season, but to choose foods carefully, eat slowly and savor. It is normal to overeat this time of the year, however, it is important to be careful of using this as an excuse to stray from your healthy habits. For most healthy individuals, overeating won’t cause too many problems, but for those who struggle with their weight, it could potentially throw them off target.
The holiday season which starts with Thanksgiving (for some Halloween) and ends with a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight! This time of year for most can be a slippery slope, resulting in a possible weight gain of 10 pounds! These pounds are not easy to melt away, so it is crucial to enjoy your holiday favorites, while keeping them in moderation.
The key to avoiding weight gain during the holiday season is to eat in moderation and continue your exercise routine, even through the chaotic time of shopping, cooking and traveling. Have an action plan before the stress hits, so you are ready to deal with crunched time and the never-ending cookie jar. For holiday meals, take small bites and eat slowly. Also, don’t get stuck in guilt for one meal. Feeling guilty can lead to thoughts such as “I blew my diet, so I will start up after New Year’s”, which can be the worst thing to do!
If you get off track after a dessert, one meal, or even a few days, the most important thing to do is to get back on as soon as possible!
Source: Time.com
November 26th, 2007
Relaxation and flexibility aside, yoga and pilates are often thought to be the same. A way to strengthen your body as well as relax and stretch. This may be true, however there are many differences between the two outside of the mat!
The first difference is Origin. Yoga is an ancient form of meditation practiced for over 5,000 years. An Indian practice, yoga has evolved over the years into many other cultures and forms. Pilates was created during the 20th century by a man named Joseph Pilates. Originally created for athletic rehabilitation, dancers have embraced pilates as a way to improve their strength and performance.
Number two. Mind, body…and spirit. Yoga involves the three aspects of this connection, whereas pilates is focused more on mind-body. Spirituality plays a strong role in yoga, especially through meditation.
The classroom is where you will find a few differences in the two. Because there are so many variations of yoga and over tens of thousands of routines, every class is bound to be different. Yoga is very dependent on the style of the teacher as well as the level of class. Pilates is much different in that the classes are pretty similar. In pilates, you may work on a mat or also on a reformer ( machine).
You may think that yoga and pilates are only for relaxation and stretching. However, yoga and pilates have great strengthening benefits. Flexibility and stress reduction are both components, however the two focus differently on strength. Yoga takes a more full body approach. Pilates, however, almost always involve movements that increase core and spine strength.
Another difference with the two is the type of breathing involved. You may not think that this is an important difference, however, breathing and concentration play an important part of relaxation. Yoga uses breathing with the movements, in which yogis breath in and out through the nose. Pilates teaches to breath in through the nose, exhaling with the mouth.
Last, but definitely not least, which is for you? It all depends on your own personal fitness goals. If your primary focus is on relaxation, flexibility and stress management, yoga may be for you. If you are looking to improve core strength with an added flexibility benefit, you may be best suited in pilates. However, it never hurts to try anything once. Who knows, you may end up enjoying both!
For more information on pilates and yoga and other health topics, visit here.
September 27th, 2007
After receiving a ranking of seventh in the nation for childhood obesity rates, South Carolina has taken action to decrease these numbers and increase the amount of physical activity in the schools. Teachers are getting creative trying to fit in the required exercise by the state fitness standards.
The South Carolina state Health and Fitness Act is in its second year of implementation this past August. Now students are taking part in 90 minutes of physical education classes along with 90 extra minutes of physical activity each week. The students have organized physical education classes along with the newly active morning announcements “jump with the bell”. Along with the time requirements, the fitness act also requires a lower student to teacher ratio.
Although South Carolina seems to be moving in the right direction, many other states physical education classes are dwindling. The Centers for Disease Control says that in 2003 only 55.7% of students were enrolled in physical education classes and only 39.2% were actually active during that time. This has led to the tripling in teen obesity rates from 1980 to 2000.
The South Carolina Health and Fitness Act is focused on encouraging fitness in elementary students in hopes that these healthy habits will be instilled into their lifestyles through high school. Read more about the Health and Fitness Actand other states obesity initiatives.
September 12th, 2007
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