Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

goals

The Effects of Exercise on Psychological Well-Being

Cardiovascular Training (aka “cardio” or “endurance training) refers to positively stressing the heart muscle by elevating our heart rate through prolonged, repetitive activity.  This form of activity yields a long list of benefits ranging from improved blood flow throughout the body, lowered cholesterol, decreased chances of certain cancers (breast, colon), increased lung capacity, and weight loss.  Most professional organizations recommend performing this activity for at least 3 or more days out of the week for at least 20-30 minutes of a moderate intensity in order to receive the best benefits.
Understanding that cardio does not have to come in the form of treadmill running or cycling is a key element.  Recreational sports, golfing, walking, and even long-term yard work can all yield similar benefits if performed for a longer period of time.  Many people have heard of the aforementioned pros of cardio but forget about the psychological effects.  Especially for those whom wish to lose weight but are struggling to stay motivated and start a weight-loss program, it is important to note that cardiovascular training can improve a person’s general well-being, mood, anxiety levels, and self-concept.

A few research studies have been done over recent years which provide evidence of the psychological benefits of CV training.  A 15-week study was performed on 35 overweight or mildly obese women to test the effects of brisk walking for 45 minutes, 5 days/week on certain psychological aspects.  The results of this study showed a significant improvement in general well-being, energy levels, and lowered anxiety in the group that performed cardiovascular training versus the group that performed no exercise at all (Cramer, et al).

Another study that was conducted in recent years involving the effects of physical activity on weight loss and mental health received results which pointed to physical activity being the reason for mental health improvements and elevations in mood, not specifically cardiovascular fitness.  Not only did these subjects lose a significant percentage of body fat due to various forms of physical activity, but their mental health improved as well (Thirlaway, et al).

Therefore, the take home message would be that it may not necessarily matter how fit someone is in order to lose weight and improve their mental state of being.  Regardless of the success you are having with your weight-loss regimen, performing cardio or any form of physical activity has been linked to an improved state of mind.  With a healthier mental state/mood, we as humans are more likely to continue to be active, and the more activity we perform the better chances of shedding pounds.

 

By Anthony Locast

Cramer, Sylvia R., David C. Nieman, and Jerry W. Lee. “The effects of moderate exercise training on psychological well-being and mood state in women.” Journal of Psychosomatic Research 35.4 (1991): 437-449.

Thirlaway, Kathryn, and David Benton. “Participation in physical activity and cardiovascular fitness have different effects on mental health and mood.” Journal of psychosomatic research 36.7 (1992): 657-665.

Recipe of the Week: Confetti Corn

Total:30 min
Prep:15 min
Cook:15 min
Yield:6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2-inch diced
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Kernels cut from 5 ears yellow or white corn (4 cups)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil, minced fresh chives, and/or minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the bell pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.
  2. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Over medium heat, add the corn, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the corn just loses its starchiness. Season to taste, gently stir in the basil or other green herbs, and serve hot.

 

Original recipe from The Food Network can be found here!

Keeping BBQ Season Alive

One of the best parts about summer is having the leisure of walking outside and easily throwing some meat and vegetables on the grill. The perfect way to meal prep ahead of time and have yourself food for the next week. BBQ-ing is a very healthy way to prepare your food and it requires minimal effort. When you are cooking for the family, it is a great way to have a big variety of food and make everyone happy.

September means it’s back to school time and we often tend to fall off the nutritional wagon. As our schedules become busy with activities, stress levels start to get higher and nutrition becomes a second priority. We want to avoid falling into take out and fast food trap in order to maintain the progress you made over the summer. Unfortunately, the last thing you want to do when you come home from work or school is cook a full meal and follow that up with a sink full of dishes. Look no further than your BBQ for the answer! One great way to give yourself food for the week is to BBQ in bulk, throw a couple packages of chicken breast on the grill and your family will have food for the next four days. Tired of chicken breast? Shrimp, burgers, steak, salmon, etc. are all great options to serve as lean protein with each meal. Try also grilling vegetables as a nice alternative to steaming, boiling, or sautéing. Having these ready to go will alleviate stress by not having to worry about cooking and help to avoid grabbing something “quick & easy.” Preparation is key when it comes to weight loss and if you have the tools already at your disposal then it only makes sense to use it for as long as possible. Keep BBQ season alive and utilize it until it’s too cold to step outside…then throw on a jacket and BBQ some more!

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Pizza *GF

Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 min

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into small florets
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large regular lemon
  • 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
  • ? cup green or black olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup slivered fresh basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a pizza pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until reduced to rice-size crumbles. Transfer to a large nonstick skillet and add 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower begins to soften slightly (but don’t let it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, remove the skin and white pith from the lemon and discard. Working over a small bowl, cut the segments from the membranes, letting the segments drop into the bowl (remove seeds). Drain the juice from the segments (save for another use). Add tomatoes and olives to the lemon segments; toss to combine.
  4. Add egg, cheese and oregano to the cooled cauliflower; stir to combine. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, shaping into an even 10-inch round. Drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over the top.
  5. Bake the pizza until the top begins to brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Scatter the lemon- olive mixture over the top, season with pepper, and continue to bake until nicely browned all over, 8 to 14 minutes more. Scatter basil over the top. Cut into wedges and serve.

 

Original recipe from Eating Well. You can find it here along with a quick how-to video of this recipe!

 

Lowering Your Blood Pressure

The word “cardio” refers to the heart, a muscle that pumps blood to our entire body. When you are doing any cardiovascular exercise the goal is to strengthen your heart and make it work more efficiently. Cardiorespiratory exercise is often associated with running and weight loss. Yes, running is one form of “cardio,” but there are many options like the elliptical, biking, swimming, walking, and basically anything that keeps your heart rate elevated. Cardiovascular exercise can help with weight loss, but it also helps the body in other ways, especially by decreasing high blood pressure (BP).

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. High BP is when the pressure is consistently too high; BP can be classified as “too high” when either your resting Systolic (top) or Diastolic (bottom) numbers are 140/90 mmHG or higher. High BP is often referred to as the silent killer because of not regularly checking you pressure. High BP typically cannot be felt, but over time the pressure causes damage to the walls of your arteries and can damage some of the organs in the body as well. If cardiovascular exercise, as well as, a better diet is introduced slowly to someone with high BP, they have the ability to lower it. Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 mmHG at rest. BP and heart rate (HR) don’t coincide; because your HR is low does not mean your BP is low.

To manually take a blood pressure reading, you need a sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff) and stethoscope for a trained individual to obtain your BP. There are also automated devices which can be used to take a BP reading. If you already have high BP it is not recommended to do intense cardiovascular exercise, because BP increases with increased intensity. If you have high BP, be sure you speak to your doctor before starting an exercise program. When you are cleared to exercise then low-moderate intensity cardio to start and slowly increasing the intensity of the exercise program can help lower your BP over time.

During exercise it is normal to have the systolic number increase and see a reading of 160/80 mmHG and this is not considered high BP. Even in healthy individuals the systolic reading can exceed 200 mmHG; however diastolic BP changes very little during exercise. This increase will only occur during exercise; when you stop exercising, BP will decrease maybe even lower than pre-exercise levels. Cardiorespiratory exercise is good for individuals with high blood pressure because it will help to lower it over time.

Cardiovascular exercise has great benefit on the heart and in turn makes your body more efficient. When your body works more efficiently your heart doesn’t need to pump as heard during rest thus you will have a lower BP. Another benefit to having a more efficient heart is that the same mile you walked on the first day will become easier over time; it won’t feel as challenging to obtain the same goals. As your body becomes more efficient, you have to make your exercise a little more challenging to keep thosenseeing results.

 

By: Corynne Duprey

Recipe of the Week: Coconut Lime Tilapia

This delicious recipe was quick and easy to make! Try serving it with a whole grain side to make it a well rounded meal for your family.

Ingredients

  • 3 limes, zested
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 7 tsp of coconut oil, melted
  • 4 (4oz) tilapia fillets
  • 8 cups fresh spinach
  • ¼ c + 1 tbs of lime juice

Directions

1) Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine lime zest, garlic, pepper, and 4 teaspoons of coconut oil.

2) Coat tilapia fillets with the oil mixture on both sides. Place fillets, two at a time, in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and crisp.

3) In a large bowl, toss spinach with the remaining 3 teaspoons of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Divide among four serving plates with a fillet and drizzle with lime juice.

**You can sauté the spinach leaves also!

Nutrition

  • Calories: 196
  • Carbohydrates: 3g
  • Fat: 10g
  • Protein: 23g

 

Physical Activity for Type 2 Diabetes

Over 1 million American people have Type 2 diabetes and over 90% of that population is considered overweight. The top 3 major lifestyle risk factors associated with chronic disease, cancer and stroke are 1) tobacco use 2) lack of physical activity, and 3) poor dietary habits. Dietary habits and physical activity go hand in hand when it comes to reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. While there are many approaches to losing weight, 1/3 of Americans are on weight loss diets which claim to provide a “quick fix.”  There are over 150,000 books related to weight loss on Amazon.com; however, creating a lifestyle change is the key to long term success.  There is so much information out there between books and the internet- let’s establish some facts and focus on how physical activity impacts Type 2 diabetes and promotes weight loss.

Physical activity accounts for about 25-30% of the body’s total energy expenditure in a given day. (Physical activity includes walking around the office, climbing stairs at home, or standing up from a chair v. exercise which is regimented.) Before starting an exercise program, finding out your basal metabolism (BMR) will tell you how many calories your body is burning in a day. BMR is the energy expended to sustain basic life functions such as respiration, heart beat, nerve function and muscle tone. BMR accounts for about 50-70% of total energy expenditure. Once your BMR is calculated, we can then better understand and properly prescribe how intense your exercise program should be with consideration of your BMR.

Maintaining healthy body weight by balancing caloric intake with energy expenditure is typically the most challenging part of weight loss.  Too much exercise with too little nutrient dense foods can cause you to lose vital fluids and micronutrients.  Too little exercise with too much food can lead to weight gain.  Remember 2 things: 1) healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week and 2) you must expend and extra 3,500 calories to lose 1lb.  For example, decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories a day without any exercise you will lose at 1 pound over the course of seven days. Walking 1 mile is about 100 calories expended. An extra 100 calories burned a few times each week paired with a 500 calorie deficit and you will reach your goal of 1-2 pounds a week.  The key is setting reasonable goals and starting with small changes to make big differences.

It’s important not to just focus on weight loss but overall health. Physical activity of at least 30 minutes a day can lower blood pressure, lipid levels, and blood glucose. The main focus is creating sustainable lifestyle changes. Focus less on the weight loss and more on overall improvements in fitness levels. Remember, fit people are healthier than unfit people of the same body composition. Being active much is healthier than being sedentary.

 

Recipe of the Week: Peach and Blue Cheese Salad

Total: 10 min
Active: 5 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 6 firm peaches, pitted and quartered
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 3 to 4 cups baby arugula
  • 1 cup of your favorite blue cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat the grill to medium or the oven to 250 degrees F. Add the peaches to a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Grill for 1 minute per side or warm for 2 minutes in the oven.
  2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt.
  3. Gently mix together the warm peaches, almonds, arugula and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Toss with the dressing.
  4. Cook’s Note: I love this served right on top of a steak but it is also great as a side salad.

 

Recipe courtesy of the Cooking Channel- find it here!