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Recipe of the Week: Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Grilling season is in full swing! This steak is grilled to perfection, topped with chimichurri sauce and served with a side of tomatoes and green beans. Perfect to whip up for the whole family.
Total: 30 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Chimichurri Sauce:

Directions:
  1. Place a double layered piece of heavy-duty foil on a tray or cutting board; fold and gather edge to form a rim. Toss the green beans and tomatoes on foil with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat a grill to medium. Lightly oil the grill grates and season the steak with salt and pepper. Slide the foil tray onto the grill; cook, tossing occasionally, until the beans char slightly and cook through, about 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, add the steaks to the grill; cook until desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove steaks to cutting board to rest 5 minutes. Slice, and serve steak and the vegetables with the Chimichurri Sauce.

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

  1. Combine the garlic, vinegar, herbs, olive oil and water in small food processor; pulse until herbs are coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 451
Fat: 29 grams
Carbohydrates: 9 grams
Protein: 37 grams

 

Original recipe from the Food Network can be found here!

Exercising with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disorder that most commonly affects your joints. Based on recent data around 1.3 million adults across the United States suffer from RA. Along with prescription medications and therapy, properly prescribed exercise can also alleviate symptoms of RA and improve quality of life for those suffering with the disease.

A major symptom of RA is pain in joints, along with stiffness and loss of mobility. Developing a stretching routine can greatly improve mobility in affected and unaffected joints, decrease join stiffness, and could lead to less pain with certain movements. Doctors have recommended yoga and/or Tai Chi classes to help patients improve joint range of motion and to decrease stress.

Low-impact aerobic exercises are great for improving heart health and cardiovascular endurance while avoiding placing too much stress on your joints. Low impact dance classes, walking, or stationary bikes are some examples of aerobic exercises that are joint friendly. Swimming is also a phenomenal way to build endurance and strengthen muscle with almost no stress on joints.

It is also very important to include resistance training in your exercise programs. The goal being to relieve stress in affected joints by strengthening the muscles around them. Resistance bands, machines, free weights and body weight exercise can all be used/performed to achieve strength and mobility goals. Free weights may be better than some machines since they allow you to move in your body’s natural path of motion and do not force your joint into specific movement patterns. A physical therapist or exercise physiologist with proper experience can give guidance for appropriate exercise selection.

Final tips:

  • Don’t forget to stretch and strengthen smaller joints/muscles such as your ankles, wrists, and fingers.
  • Wear appropriate work out attire (for example proper footwear and insoles to avoid any slips or falls and to promote optimal joint alignment and stability).
  • Listen to your body! Learn the difference between soreness and pain and avoid anything that causes the latter.

 

By David McCalla, CSCS

 

 

“Best Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Www.arthritis.org, www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/articles/best-exercises-for-ra-2.php.

Recipe of the Week: Summer Kale Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Marinate Time: 6 hours
Servings: 5

One of my favorite salads I have made in a very long time. Quick and easy to make with little clean up is a big win in my kitchen. Substitute out as you prefer- the options are endless with this salad. I would suggest adding a lean protein source like beans, avocado, or even chicken!

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 cups of kale (I used one big bag of kale from Trader Joes)
  • ½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cup diced red onions
  • ½ cup cherry red tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 fresh cloves of garlic, diced
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Mix kale, cranberries, tomatoes, nuts, and onions in a glass bowl.
  2. In a separate dish, mix lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic to make a dressing.
  3. Pour dressing over kale and toss to coat evenly.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is best. Before serving, toss in feta cheese.

Nutrition:
Calories: 243
Carbohydrates: 24g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 16g

Returning to Exercise After a Heart Attack

Myocardial infarctions, better known as heart attacks, are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Generally, heart attacks are a result of coronary heart disease (CHD). With CHD, plaque begins to buildup in the coronary arteries leading to a reduction of oxygen-rich blood to our heart. If the plaque builds up too largely and the heart does not receive enough blood, the heart muscles start to die. At this point, heart damage is not obvious and severe or long-lasting complications can occur, including a heart attack.

Symptoms are not always present in CHD and but there are a few major symptoms associated with a heart attack. These include chest pain, upper body pain above the belly button and shortness of breath. Thankfully, heart attacks and CHD are preventable and many risk factors can be controlled. The risk factors include:

  • Smoking
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Obesity/Overweight
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Unhealthy diet
  • High blood sugar due to insulin resistance or diabetes

*Items in BOLD can be further controlled by increased physical activity

In the event that someone has experienced a heart attack, it is possible to return to normal activity. Most people that do not experience chest pain or discomfort or other problems will typically return to normal activities within a few weeks and walking can start immediately.

When programming for an individual that has had a heart attack it is important for them to ease back into exercise. The key is to slowly build up to being able to withstand 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity. During this period, low-impact movements like walking or light gardening are preferred. As the individual gets stronger and gains stamina, others activities like swimming, cycling or non-contact sports can be added.

Strength training is not recommended in the short-term and, apart from light weights during the early recovery period should be avoided until a physician or cardiac rehabilitation team confirms approval to begin. This is due to the spike in blood pressure that is associated with heavy lifting.

If you would like information pertaining to CHD or myocardial infarctions be sure to check out my.clevelandclinic.org. Also, be aware that most patients will receive a prescription for cardiac rehabilitation, which has been an effective program for recovery post-myocardial infarction. Feel free to ask any of our fitness professionals any questions you may have.

 

 

By Julian C. Lee

Recipe of the Week: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

All you need is one sheet pan lined with tin foil! Pop it in the oven to get nice and hot so when the sliced peppers, onions, and chicken are placed on it, they start to sizzle. The preheated pan speed up the cooking time, which means dinner is ready to go in only 30 minutes!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 black pepper
  • 3 bell peppers (any combination of colors), cut into strips
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • 8 small flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil and place it in the oven while you prep the vegetables and chicken.
  2. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are of even thickness. Coat the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and then sprinkle over the chicken in an even layer (both sides). Slice the chicken into long strips, about 1 – 1/2 inches wide.
  3. Toss the bell pepper slices and onions with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the hot sheet pan from the oven and spread the peppers and onions in an even layer. Place the chicken strips among the vegetables. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas, fresh guacamole, or salsa on top and enjoy!
  5. Optional: Try swapping the tortillas for quinoa, brown rice, or mixed greens for a deconstructed fajita!

 

Original recipe from Amanda’s Cookin’ can be found here!

Signs, Symptoms, and Exercise Considerations for Stroke Victims

Although exercise has many benefits, a high amount of stress on the body can trigger negative events that one should look out for.  It is of vital importance to understand the signs and symptoms of cardiac events, such as the occurrence of a stroke.  Strokes occur when a blood vessel that is connected to the brain becomes extremely blocked from plaque build-up, causing a lack of oxygenated, nutrient-filled blood being delivered to the brain.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in America today and can also cause long term changes leading to disability or lack of mobility/neuro-motor functioning.  This type of cardiac event can happen at any age but generally affects those ages 55 and older, and as we age our risk of having a stroke become greater.  Of all populations men, African Americans, and people with diabetes or heart disease are at the highest risk.

Some of the warning signs of having a stroke include sudden weakness of the face, arms or legs (especially on one side), sudden confusion or inability to speak, lack of vision, dizziness or coordination problems, and a sudden, severe headache.  If you have any of these signs, stop exercise immediately and get to the hospital or call 9-1-1.

The major goal of exercise after a stroke should be to improve the overall quality of life for the victim.  In addition to improving measures of quality of life, other measures such as functional capacity and mobility (i.e. increasing gait velocity), neurological impairment, and motor function (i.e. lowering the energy cost of a hemiparetic gait), will also benefit from regular exercise. The three major rehabilitation goals for the stroke patient are preventing complications of prolonged inactivity, decreasing recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events, and increasing aerobic fitness.

Before beginning an exercise program, the two most important things to consider are if the benefit outweighs the risk, as well as, the severity of the stroke.  A stroke victim should be evaluated by a medical professional before initiating a program—performing strength and aerobic training can lead to serious musculoskeletal injury.

To prevent muscle deterioration from prolonged inactivity, performing exercises that mimic movements of everyday life activities (i.e. standing from a seated position, squatting down, walking, reaching overhead) should performed regularly.  Moreover, moving the entire body throughout its full range of motion should also be considered.  In terms of aerobic fitness, stroke patients have been shown to achieve significantly lower maximal workloads and heart rate and blood pressure responses than control subjects during progressive exercise testing to volitional fatigue.

Setting reasonable goals to return to pre-stroke fitness levels as opposed to above baseline levels should be aimed for.  Exercising will be significantly harder post-stroke, but is of vital importance for the individual in order to improve their quality of life.

 

By Anthony Locast

 

Sources
Gordon, Neil F., et al. “Physical Activity and Exercise Recommendations for Stroke Survivors.”Circulation, American Heart Association, Inc., 27 Apr. 2004, circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/16/2031.

Recipe of the Week: BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken thighs skin on, bone in
  • 24 oz baby gold potatoes halved
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, remove the leaves
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 cup cherry tomatoes

Marinade

  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Instructions:

  1. Turn on your oven to 400° F
  2. Mix the marinade together and add the chicken, toss it around to coat it and put it in the fridge.
  3. Get out a half sheet pan. You can line it with parchment for easy clean up.
  4. Toss the halved potatoes and onions in a small amount of olive oil, and then place the potatoes only on the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Put the onions to one side.
  5. After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan and add the red onion and the chicken along with the marinade, then sprinkle on the chopped rosemary and thyme and a little salt and pepper, and put it back in the oven.
  6. Cook for a further 25 minutes, then take out the pan again to add the cherry tomatoes, and cook for 20 minutes more.
  7. After 45 minutes the chicken thighs should be fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F
  8. Plate and enjoy!

Note: You can use skinless boneless thighs, or skin on boneless variety too. The skinless boneless thighs will not take as long to cook as the bone in versions so you will need to adjust the cook time to compensate for that.

Nutrition:

Calories: 394 cal
Total Fat: 23g
Total Carbs: 22g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 22g

Balsamic Chicken with Potatoes, Red Onion and Tomatoes

Exercise Considerations for Parkinson’s Disease

There are more than 200,000 new cases of Parkinson’s Disease seen in the United States per year. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder of the central nervous system that usually presents itself in people over 60 years old. PD is typically a slow progressing disease that causes impaired movement and functional mobility. Keeping good range of motion is vital for maintaining strength and mobility. As an example, stretching the front of the hip, such as a hip flexor stretch, may help improve walking mechanics which will further help improve gait (see picture).

People with Parkinson’s often present with tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia (slow movement). These clients should try and improve their gait quality by focusing on taking proper strides and maintaining a heel-toe pattern to avoid shuffling their feet, which often leads to falls. An ideal exercise program for those with PD would be include stretching of the lower extremities, overall strengthening, postural awareness, and balance training.  For people with mild to moderate PD, targeted exercises address specific symptoms for example: aerobic exercise improves fitness, walking exercises assists in gait, resistance training strengthens muscles.

So when should you start exercising? Right now! Exercise to improve mobility, improve thinking, memory and reduce the risk of falls.  By avoiding complications from falls you can prevent further injury.  Consult with your physician and set up an appointment to meet with an exercise physiologist to get started today.

 

By Brandon Ayala, CSCS