Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

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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.

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!

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

 

 

Recipe of the Week: Hawaiian Turkey Sliders

Serves: 6
Total Time: 30 minutes
Active Prep: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1 large garlic, minced
  • ¼-inch-thick fresh pineapple rings
  • 1 small red onion, cut into ¼-inch-thick rings
  • toasted slider buns, preferably whole-wheat
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 6 small leaves Boston lettuce

Preparation

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  2. Combine turkey, teriyaki sauce, scallions and garlic in a medium bowl; gently knead together. Do not over mix. Form into 6 burgers, about 3 inches wide.
  3. Oil the grill rack. Grill the burgers until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill pineapple rings until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Grill onions until lightly charred and starting to soften, about 2 minutes per side.
  4. Assemble the burgers on toasted buns with 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, 1 pineapple ring and about 3 onion rings each.

 

Original recipe from Eating Well can be found here!

 

What Does It Mean to Be Actively Inactive?

What does it mean to be actively inactive? Sounds like silly concept, but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people who are actively inactive. This concept is based off people that might come to the gym for a half hour or hour and work hard and then go home or to work and be very sedentary.

When you work so hard at the gym, you really want to take advantage of that hard work and continue in everyday life being more active.

Some things you can incorporate into your everyday lives are pretty simple:

  • Achieve that 10,000 step goal per day.
  •             +you can do this by parking a little further away
  •             +taking stairs rather then elevator or escalator
  •             +setting a timer at your desk so you get up every hour
  • Changing your lifestyle to more active down time activates like hiking and gardening. This is the perfect time of year to go outside!

There are 168 hours in a week and if you spend only 1 or 2 hours during the whole week exercising and the rest not very active then your still left with 166-167 hours per week you’re missing out on physical activity. We obviously have to take into account sleep and important rest time, but when you decide to change your lifestyle is when exercise and eating right all fall into place and you see the best results!

 

By Corynne Duprey

Recipe: Garden Vegetable Frittata

Total: 45 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 5 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 cup baby spinach, torn
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes to the skillet, saute for about 6 to 8 minutes, until tender but firm. Remove the potatoes from the skillet. Add another tablespoon olive oil, and add the green onions, tomatoes, spinach, and garlic. Saute for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or just until the spinach is wilted. Season the vegetables with salt, and pepper.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, basil, cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and scramble the eggs for 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the skillet. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the eggs start to set around the edges. Drizzle olive oil around the edge of the pan to ensure easy removal.
  4. Finish cooking in the oven for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until the eggs have completely set in the center. Serve straight out of the skillet, or flip onto a serving plate. Garnish with shredded Asiago cheese and fresh basil.

 

 

Original recipe from the Cooking Channel can be found here!