Best and Worst Drinks for Your Health

Shape.com posted a super informative article on the best and worst drinks for your health. I commend myself on drinking plenty of water throughout the day while at work, but when I go home I sip on kool-aide and soda. I did make the switch from kool-aide to lemonade, but then learned that lemonade was just as bad for you! So what’s the best and what’s the worst? Shape is clearing up any confusion on this matter…

 

THE WORST

Lemonade! Store bought lemonade can contain 100 calories per cup, and the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar and zero nutrients.

THE BEST

Infused water. Good ole’ H20 is going to be the best choice, but there are ways to fancy up your plain water to make it more desirable. There are plenty of flavor-enhanced versions of water (Fuze, SmartWater, VitaminWater, etc.) but make sure you are reaching for ones that do not contain artificial sweeteners.

THE WORST COCKTAIL

Do you enjoy pina coladas? You might want to rethink those tasty treats. A 16-ounce pina colada contains 880 calories!

THE BEST BEER

Light beer will be the drink of choice. A 12 ounce bottle of light beer will only up you 100 calories and studies have shown the natural ingredients in light beer help deposit calcium and other minerals into bone. The alcohol in beer also provides protection against heart disease and stroke.

To read more about the best and worst drinks for your health from Shape, click here!

Source: Shape.com/Cynthia Sass

Workout for Toned Arms

One area of my body that has no trouble getting toned is my arms. I swear, my biceps will look more toned if I spend two hours simply channel surfing. For this reason, I often skip total arm workouts or any focus on weights because my arms will start to look too toned- and I don’t want to look like I’m getting ready to arm wrestle at the drop of a hat. But recently, Shape.com posted a great exercise plan that will not only tone your biceps, but firm up triceps, shoulders, and adds a little cardio into the mix. This workout is great not only for arms, but gives an extra oomph to the full body. Check out the full workout here!

Photo Credit: Shape.com

Lowering Breast Cancer Risks

While there is no cure for breast cancer, I think it is important that women know and understand what they can do to lower their chances of getting the disease. After losing my grandmother last year to the cancer, I now pay even more attention to topics such as prevention and risk factors. Shape.com put out an article titled ‘Lower Your Breast Cancer Risk’ and it includes 4 healthy breast habits that all women should be aware of.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Women who are overweight have a higher chance of being diagnosed with the cancer, in addition to being more at risk to recurrence and morality. Exercising on a regular basis will not only keep your weight in check, but can drop your risk up to 50% if you exercise vigorously for three to four hours a week.
2. Eat a balanced diet. Not only will eating healthy in general give you health benefits, but there are certain foods that can lower your risk of cancer by 20%. Those include foods rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, such as carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes. Vitamin D and calcium are another strong source, found in fish, such as salmon, trout, sardines, milk, yogurt, cheese and vegetables like broccoli and kale.
3. Examine yourself. While an annual checkup may be unpleasant and dreaded, it is important for women to go. The doctor will perform a breast examination, looking for any abnormalities including lumps that could require further testing. But you cannot just count on that one time a year exam. Women should perform monthly self breast exams as well, generally the best time being the week after your period. This is the time frame where there is less estrogen stimulation, so breasts are not lumpy or tender.
4. Know your breasts. You’re the one that knows your breasts the best, so you will be able to tell if there is a change or any abnormalities that are occurring. Shape recommends going to a doctor if you find swollen lymph nodes, changes in nipples, or if skin turns a color.

 

Source: Shape.com

Walking Workouts to Get in Shape

One of my favorite exercise routines is the most basic- walking! Usually I make it on the treadmill three times a week, walking at a brisk pace at a steep incline. Even though I am “just” walking, the pace and the incline are giving me a great cardio workout. Shape.com has a great walking workout plan, that includes two different workouts, a 30 min quick blast and a 60 min fat torcher that you can alternate between. Check out both workouts here and get walking!

Photo Credit: Shape.com

De-Jiggle Your Arms in Time for Summer

Spring is here (yea!) and t-shirts and sleeveless shirts are being unearthed from the dungeons in storage. But are your arms ready for the warm weather, or do you have a littler extra jiggle you need to get rid of? Shape.com has put out a De-Jiggle Arm Workout Plan to help tone up and firm your arms in time for the nice weather. There is a great triceps anatomy lesson to take advantage of, and the exercises will make your arms sore! But it’s worth it to look your best in those sleeveless tanks, so head over to Shape.com and download your workout plan.

Healthy Recipe: Chelsea Handler’s Favorite Turkey Meat Loaf

Chelsea Handler is one of my favorite late night comedians, and the way she talks about her food and drinks would make one think she doesn’t care how many calories she consumes in a day. But actually, Chelsea is very conscious of her diet, thanks in large part to her nutritionist and her brother, Roy, who is a professional chef.  The comedienne shared one of her favorite recipes with Shape magazine, turkey meat loaf. Keep reading for the full recipe:

 

Serves: 16

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 7″ loaf (about 4 1/2 ounces) stale crusty bread
• 2 cups lowfat milk
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 3 cloves sliced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, divided
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400° F. Tear bread into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and make sure bread is immersed. Let sit 30 minutes, mixing the bread and milk every 10 minutes, until the bread is thoroughly moistened. Add all of the ingredients except 1/4 cup mustard and 1/2 cup ketchup. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Form into 2 equal size cylindrical loaves and put on a prepared baking sheet. Mix the remaining mustard and ketchup and spread evenly over the loaves. Bake for an hour or until juices run clear. (The loaves should be firm to the touch.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

How to Get Essential Nutrients

Do you wonder about how to get all the essential nutrients from your food? I know I do, and I often just turn to vitamins as my easy way out instead of investigating healthy food choices. Shape.com posted an article titled, ‘The Nutrients You Need,’ and lists 8 essential nutrients, and better-where to find them.   Check out some of my favorites below, and head to Shape.com for the complete list!

 

Eat This: Walnuts & Almonds. Walnuts especially are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help stave off depression, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. Shape recommends toasting the walnuts to help get more flavor, and toss in your salads or on top of yogurt.

Eat This: Kiwi. This fruit has been found to be the densest, which means they are high in vitamins and minerals. And research has shown that adults who ate two kiwifruits a day for a month lowered their triglycerides, which can lower the chance of heart disease.

Drink This: White Tea. White tea has been found to be even more powerful than healthy green tea, helping prevent cancer. Shape recommends buying loose white tea leaves such as Yinzhen Silver Needle White Tea.

Walking as a Diet…Sure!

I can’t believe I’m finally saying this, but it seems that spring could be just around the corner! I thought we would never get past this dreadful winter, but now that I’ve actually seen the sun and have gotten my hopes up for decent weather, I want to take advantage. I have started taking walks outside around my work building during my breaks instead of sitting cooped up in the break room. I saw on Shape.com that they have posted a walking workout. Titled ‘The Walking Diet’ the article talks about how walking and/or hiking can help get you into summer shape. I have done the workout once so far, and I definitely recommend giving it a try if you can get outdoors! Head to Shape.com to view the complete workout.

Photo Credit: Janet Lee

Straighten Up: Effects of Poor Posture

Good posture. I will admit, this is not something I often think about. I found myself slouching in my chair, hunched over my computer multiple times a day. But improving your posture can have positive long term effects on your health, and it is important that people are aware of what poor posture can do to your body.

I wad doing yoga a few days ago, which is a great exercise for posture. I can feel my spine lengthening, my neck long, and my back straight. Once I complete a yoga workout, I find myself more focused on the way I am sitting and standing. I sit up taller at the table, I throw my shoulders back while walking, I feel good about myself. But then a few days later I’m back to my hunchback ways. So how can we improve our posture?

If you weren’t already aware, poor posture can do a lot more than make you look like an undignified Miley Cyrus at the Oscars. According to an article on Shape.com, it can also cause continual neck and back pain, frequent migraines, arthritic symptoms, and fatigue. Shape recommends checking your self out in a mirror. You should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from your earlobe to your hip to your knee and the center of your ankle. If you are sitting, put your feet flat on the floor, push your butt back to the end of the chair so your back is completely supported and your weight’s equally distributed on both hips, then push your shoulders back to take the strain off of your neck muscles.

Being aware of your posture will not only make you look better, but also feel better. I recommend practicing yoga, which forces you to sit straight and focus on your posture. Try thinking of these tips when you are sitting at the table or at your desk. The pain that you won’t feel from being hunched will just be another reward. And be sure to check out Shape.com for other posture improving tips.

Photo Credit: Shape.com

Fitness Gadget- The Gruve

As I was reading this month’s issue of Shape magazine, there was a featured gadget that I believe I just must have. It’s called The Gruve, and it is an activity monitor that tracks your daily calorie burn. But it’s so much more than that. When you start your day out, there is a red light on the device and when you hit your calorie burning goal for the day, the light turns green. You can also set it up so that it will remind you to get up and move around if you have been stationary for too long. This is a feature that I really like, as I sit behind a desk all day. I could really take advantage of a beeper telling me to go take a walk around my office. And the best part- you can set up a personal webpage to be synched to your Gruve, and watch your progress daily!

It may seem a little pricey- The Gruve runs about $150, but if you think of all the benefits you will receive plus a webpage, I think it is a pretty good deal. I think this will be my next fitness purchase, and will be sure to tell everyone about it! You can get more information on this device at myhealthyreflections.com.

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