How to Ease your Allergies – Without Medicine

Seasonal allergies are something I have suffered from throughout my childhood and into my adult life. Each year I am hoping that went spring rolls around the sneezing will have stopped, but no such luck yet. While taking over the counter medicines and even getting a shot can help calm my allergies, Fitness magazine added a few more tips to help get people get through the allergy season. Those ideas include:

Eating Spicy Foods. The spices can increase blood flow, which will help bring oxygen to the nasal passages, causing the mucus to thin and be eliminated.

Drink Water. Drinking plenty of H20 will help clear the airways by hydrating mucous membranes, also helping to thin and drain mucus.

Eating Foods with Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Foods such as fish, almonds and flax seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and ease respiratory symptoms.

To read the full article, including body and mind tips, head over to Fitness.com .

The Workout Machine That Will Take You Across the Globe

Two of my favorite activities are fitness (no really!) and travel. Thanks to the April edition of Fitness magazine, I now know of an exercise machine that will combine both. The NordicTrack X7i  is an interactive incline trainer that uses a Wi-Fi connection to provide multiple routes. The routes are retrieved from Google Maps, so you can get satellite, terrain, and street-level views of each course. So if I want to have a casual stroll through the streets of Italy or just show the hiking area down the street from where I live, I can type in the location and off I go with my interactive workout. One of the best features has to be that the treadmill will automatically adjust for elevation changes in the course. Travel the world without spending any money and get fit- a win win!

The Best Yogurt for Your Waistline

I have been reading that yogurt is a great healthy snack that I should probably start eating. I have been getting better on my snacking habits; I have substituted grapes and string cheese for candy bars and chips, but it never hurts to try something new.  But there are so many yogurts out there all claiming to be the best for you, so it’s a little overwhelming looking at all the choices in the grocery aisle. The April edition of Fitness magazine helps answer a few of those questions with their Eat Right section. They highlight yogurt, and even have a ‘what to look for’ box that lists the most important factors in your selection process. The guidelines, for a 6 ounce serving of yogurt, are as follows:

100-150 calories

3.5 grams of fat or less

2 grams or less of saturated fat

At least 8 to 10 grams of protein

20 grams or less of sugar

At least 20% of your daily value of calcium

At least 20% of your daily value of vitamin D

A Healthier Version of Tuna Fish

The April edition of Fitness Magazine had a great section on what foods you should toss and which you should stock up on. Many of those highlighted were foods that pertain to me, in particular though was tuna fish. I usually feel pretty healthy when I decide to go with tuna for lunch, but the canned albacore tuna isn’t as healthy as I thought. Instead of buying the canned variety, you should stock up on chunk like tuna packets, because they have plenty of nutrients and proteins, but about 1/3 the amount of mercury found in the canned tuna. I know I will be switching!

Workout While Working: The TrekDesk

The April edition of Fitness Magazine featured the TrekDesk. If you have never heard of this, the TrekDesk is a tall table that will fit treadmills, allowing you to make a desk out of your workout machine. You can put your phone, laptop, notebooks, pens, books, etc. on the TrekDesk and be able to walk while working! I wish I could have something like this; I hate sitting at my desk all day, munching on snacks and not getting any exercise. An editor for Fitness Magazine tried out the TrekDesk in her office, and said it took some time getting used to walking while typing, but at the end of the day she was burning up to 160 calories an hour. I know I couldn’t walk on a treadmill during my regular day job (administrative assistant at a hospital) but I also work from home on this website so I could really utilize something like this while working there or reading. It’s a little on the pricey side, about $480, but if you think about all the health benefits you receive, it just may be worth it!

Workout Clothes to Flatter Your Shape

One thing that really helps motivate me to workout is the clothes I’m wearing. It might sound silly, but if I just have on a ratty pair of sweats and old t-shirt, I really don’t feel like going to the gym. But once I put on my nice fitting yoga pants and Under Armour workout tank, I feel motivated to get in there and get working. Fitness Magazine released an article about finding the right workout clothes for your body shape, and the suggestions included are fabulous. They have tips for pear shapes, apple, rectangle, and hourglass figures. Check out the article here to find your best fitness clothes!

Sunglass Style for the Summer

Summertime is right around the corner (finally!), and my favorite accessory of the summer is sunglasses! I have three pairs from last season sitting in my car, but I decided I don’t like any of them anymore- of course. So I am looking forward to shopping for some new shades this week. Fitness Magazine put out an article on finding the best shape of sunglasses for your face. It’s a great article, with advice on the most flattering shapes for your face and even some suggestions thrown in there. My face is more of an oval shape, so my best glasses would be an aviator type. I never would have tried on aviators, but I will give them a shot when I shop! Check out the full article here to find your best sunglasses!

Photo Credit: Peter Ardito

Yummy Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake

Who says you have to feel guilty for having some dessert? I will always have a sweet tooth, so even though I am trying to eat better, I just can’t cut out the chocolate! I found a fabulous recipe in the March edition of Fitness Magazine (page 150), and it is a much healthier version of my favorite pie, which is French Silk. This recipe is for Chocolate Cheesecake, and the ingredients and recipe can be found below. So have your cake and eat it too!

Makes 14 Servings

½ cup crushed graham crackers

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

¾ cup fat-free milk

2 8-ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened

8 ounces fat-free sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Chocolate curls

 

1. In a bowl, stir together the graham crackers and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan. Chill while preparing the filling.
2. In a saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla; gradually beat in the gelatin mixture. Divide the cream cheese mixture in half; gradually stir the melted chocolate into one half.
4. Spread half of the chocolate mixture on the crust. Spoon half of the remaining cream cheese mixture onto the chocolate mixture in small mounds; swirl them together with a butter knife.
5. Spread the remaining chocolate mixture on top. Spoon on the remaining cream cheese mixture, and swirl again. Cover; chill for 6 hours or until set.
6. Loosen the cake from the pan with a knife before removing the side of the pan. Cut the cake into wedges; top with chocolate swirls.

Can Exercise Cause Headaches?

Do you experience frequent headaches, even migraines, during a workout? If so, you are not alone. According to research from the National Headache Foundation, approximately 45 million people in US suffer from chronic headaches and migraines, and 70% of those feel pain when exercising. Fitness magazine ran an article in their March volume about the link between exercise and headaches, and some of the triggers I read about surprised me. Keep reading to see all the triggers and how you can prevent the pain.

Trigger: Improper Breathing. While doing intense activity, it is not smart to hold your breath. This will rapidly increase blood pressure, being a cause for a sudden headache. You need to remember to keep breathing throughout any exercise, especially those with high intensity such as sprinting.

Trigger: Sudden Sprinting. This can also include not warming up before a workout. Going from sitting to all out running or another form of cardio can be detrimental to the body. Making sure to warm up and fully stretch before working out to help your body adjust to the increased blood flow.

Trigger: Your Food Choices. If I know I am going to be doing an intense workout, I will try to eat a banana before heading off to the gym. But I learned that if you are prone to having migraines, this can actually be worse for you. Amino acids found in soy, citrus fruits, bananas, yogurt, and nuts can bring on the headaches. Fitness suggests drinking a protein shake or munching on whole crackers about 30 minutes before your workout.

Trigger: Dehydration. Too little water in the body can ‘lower pressure inside the arteries that supply blood to the lining around the brain,’ so aim to drink about 8 ounces of water an hour before your workout. Also, if you exercise for 30 minutes, it is wise to take a break and drink another 8 ounces to ward off any pain.

Trigger: Poor Posture. Fitness reports that 75% of tension headaches stem from muscle strain in the neck, because of poor posture during common exercises such as crunches. The suggestion to help get over bad posture? Yoga. Research has shown that after 3 months of yoga, the frequency and intensity of migraines can be greatly reduced. I know yoga is one of my favorite activities, because even after a workout I feel my posture has improved and I have more awareness of my body.

 

Practice these moves if you often get exercise headaches while working out, and check out Fitness Magazine for more healthy fitness tips!

Healthy Recipe: Egg White Muffin Melt

I woke up early this morning to try to fit in a hearty breakfast, something other than my usual bowl of Fruit Loops. So I woke up, strolled in my kitchen, and stared at my fridge. Then in my cupboards. Then back in the fridge in case I missed something the first time. But no, there was nothing in my kitchen that was going to turn itself into a yummy, healthy morning meal. Bummed, I settled by making myself some toast on whole wheat bread. Mmmm.

Luckily, I found some recipes that seem simple enough for me to complete, and still healthy and fulfilling to keep me going until lunch. One of my favorites is an Egg-White Muffin Melt. Even sounds simple, doesn’t it? The ingredients are easy and the time to cook it wouldn’t take long in the mornings. Check it out courtesy of Fitness Magazine online:

Ingredients
3 egg whites
Whole-grain English muffin
1/2 cup spinach
1 slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 slice tomato

Make It
Scramble 3 egg whites. Cover half of a whole-grain English muffin with 1/2 cup spinach and the other half with 1 slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese; toast until cheese is melted. Add egg and 1 slice tomato.

Photo Credit: Jay Wide

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