Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

weight loss

Sun Safety for Outdoor Workouts

The summer is here and people are enjoying being outside. Whether it is soaking up the sun at the park, the beach, the pool, a backyard BBQ, or even heading out for your workout. In general, we tend to spend more time outside over the summer. The fresh air of being outside is a great change of pace from your regular gym routine.

Being outside more also means protecting yourself from the sun; one of the first things to do every morning is make you apply sun block on your face. Especially if you plan on being outside for a long period of time, apply sun block to you exposed skin. A plain white t-shirt has an SPF of about 7. SPF measures the sunscreen’s protection from UVB rays not UVA rays. UVB rays are the kind that cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer. SPF does not measure how well a sunscreen will protect from UVA, rays, which are also damaging and dangerous. Dermatologists recommend using a SPF 15 or SPF 30 sunscreen. Higher SPF sunscreens may not provide much more protection. That being said, it is important to reapply sun block and give your skin a break from the sun every so often.

If you are planning an outdoor workout, here are a few tips to make sure you’re keeping your skin safe!

  • Make sure your hydrated before the workout even starts
  • Before leaving the house, apply sun block to allow it to soak in- it is very easy to get distracted once you step outside to the beautiful weather
  • As you sweat, you may wipe away your sweat which will also wipe off your sun block. Try using a “Sport” sunscreen to help minimize this
  • Post-workout, try to cool down by staying in the shade. Remember to reapply if you plan on staying out in the sun

Outdoor workouts are great as long as you are practicing safe sun! Remember that your skin is the largest organ you have and it is important to protect it.

 

By Corynne Duprey

Recipe of the Week: Confetti Kale Slaw

From the Natural Gourmet Institute

Yields: 8 cups
Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 large firm apple, shredded (1 to 2 cups)
  • 1 cup green or red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • ¼ cup scallions, minced
  • 3 cups lacinato kale, chiffonade (I used regular curly kale but it does change texture)

For the dressing:

  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. To make the dressing: whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  2. Prepare the apple (peeled or no peel) and vegetables and place them in a bowl as you go. Shred the apple on the large hole side of the grater and toss well with the dressing Thinly slice the cabbage and then cut across the slices about every inch. Peel the carrots and shred on the large holed side of a hand grater. Mince the scallions.
  3. To shred kale: rinse the kale and shake off excess water. Strip leaves from large stems and pile on a chopping board. Gather the kale into a compact mass and thinly slice. Then cut down across the slices, chopping the kale into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Add kale to bowl and toss well.
  4. Delicious served right away, but the sweetness intensifies as it sits. Keeps for 2-3 days.

Exercising in the Heat

A nice, sunny day might give you a little more motivation to do your workout outside. However, for some people being outside in the sun can be exhausting and you’ll find yourself drained by the end of the day. This can be a bad combination especially without taking proper hydration precautions. More often than not, people are suffering from some degree of dehydration yet think their daily water intake is more than adequate. Hydration is not something that comes from same day water intake; hydration is a consistency of proper fluid intake from days prior.

Simply, warmer weather and higher humidity can cause your body to sweat more. The more you sweat the more fluids your body is losing which can cause dehydration if you are not replacing them. If you’re already dehydrated before heading outside, then you may find yourself lethargic and losing energy more quickly. This can easily be prevented and should be taken quite seriously. The general guideline is that you should be drinking 8 8-ounce glasses of water each day. However, this may not be enough for some people; aim for half your body weight in ounces or .5oz-.75oz of water per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150lbs you should be consuming 75oz of water per day.

Especially when you’re exercising outdoors, it is important to be properly hydrated before heading out the door. Regularly consuming the proper amount of water will help you feel better, more energized, and have successful outdoor workouts!

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Recipe of the Week: Spicy Watermelon & Feta Salad

A great summertime snack- so easy to prepare and the sweet and spicy mixture is just right!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups cubed watermelon
  • 1 cup red onion, julienne cut
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions:

Combine watermelon, red onion, lime juice, cayenne, sea salt, and mint. Mix until well combined, then gently toss in the feta cheese. Serve!

Nutrition:
Calories: 109
Fat: 3g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Protein: 6g

 

Original recipe from sarahfit.com!

Electrolyte Replenishment and Exercise

Moderate to high intensity exercises, as well as, exercising in the heat causes the body’s temperature to rise. This increase in temperature can cause you to sweat, which is one of our body’s natural functions that helps with thermoregulation (maintaining body temperature). The bodily fluids that make up sweat are mostly water and electrolytes.  Electrolytes are ions found in the body, including sodium and potassium, which help to trigger events such as muscle actions. Therefore, when we sweat, we can lose a significant concentration of electrolytes, hindering our body’s ability to control our internal temperature, perform movements, and other important functions such as our respiratory rate and neurological function.

By consuming electrolyte beverages or gels at appropriate times relative to our bout of exercise, we can help prevent excessive loss of these electrolytes through sweating, ultimately aiding our performance and preventing fatigue or injury. There is a wide variety of electrolyte replenishing drinks, including Gatorade and Powerade, which can be consumed during and after exercise in order to help maintain proper electrolyte concentration.  However, take note that some of these drinks contain a high amount of sugar which can actually be counteractive towards our metabolism. A simple solution is mixing these drinks with water; another is adding electrolyte powders such as Hammer Fizz, Nuun, or Nathan Catalyst into a bottle of water.

The body is able to replace, at best, about one-third of what it loses during exercise. This is true for fluids, calories, and electrolytes. If you try to replace all the fluids at once, you may put your body in a state of dilutional hyponatremia (overly diluted blood sodium levels) or water intoxication. If you attempt to replace all the fuel you’ve expend, your stomach could back up in total rebellion and refueling will come to a halt. Likewise, trying to replace in equal amounts all of the electrolytes you lose, a number of hormonal triggers may create all sorts of problems such as gastric distress, edema, muscle spasms, and cramping (Eichner).

Based up on the research in this field, it is best to not chug whichever electrolyte replacement drink you consume. Consuming smaller amounts, such as 6-8 fl oz at the beginning of exercise as well as 6-8 fl oz at the end (for a 30 minute exercise) should be more effective and less stressing on the body than chugging the drink at once.

 

By Anthony Locast

Eichner, E.R. “Genetic and Other Determinants of Sweat Sodium.” Current Sports Medicine Reports 7.4 Supp 1(2008): 236-S40.

Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Farro Salad

YIELD: 6-8 servings
TOTAL TIME: 25 min
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 15 min

INGREDIENTS:
Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed and drained
  • 1 large cucumber, seeded and finely-diced
  • 2/3 cup finely-diced roasted red peppers
  • 1/2 cup finely-diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • half of a small red onion, finely diced (about 2/3 cup)
  • 1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh parsley

Greek Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
TO MAKE THE SALAD:

  1. Stir together stock and farro in a medium saucepan, and cook according to package instructions until al dente.  Remove from heat, and drain off any extra stock once the farro is cooked.  Let farro cool for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Transfer farro to a large mixing bowl, and add in remaining ingredients, including the vinaigrette.  Toss until combined.
  3. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

TO MAKE THE GREEK VINAIGRETTE:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together until combined.  Use immediately.

 

Original recipe from GimmeSomeOven.com can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Grilled Spiced Cauliflower

Yields: 4 Side servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Spice Mixture:

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Cauliflower:

  • 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed of green leaves and cut into 3/4-inch slices (see note above)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Grill heat: medium-high

Directions:

  1. For the Spice Mixture: In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.
  2. For the Cauliflower: Brush cauliflower all over with oil and season liberally with spice mixture.
  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place cauliflower on hot side of grill and cook, turning, until it is charred in spots on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Move cauliflower to cool side of the grill, cover, and continue to cook until tender throughout, 10-15 minutes longer.
  4. Transfer cauliflower to a plate, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

 

Original recipe from seriouseats.com can be found here!

The Lowdown on Your Sugar High

Carbohydrates are naturally found in many foods including fruits, vegetables, grains, and many dairy products. Carbohydrates encompass many types of sugars, starches, and fiber. Let’s focus on sugar, which has a pretty bad reputation especially for those individuals trying to lose weight.

RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for men is 36 grams or 150 calories. For women the RDA is 25 grams or 100 calories (4 calories per 1 gram of sugar). To give you an idea of how this fits into your daily caloric intake, here are some commonly eaten sweet treats:

  • 1 cup of strawberries = 7 grams
  • 1 DD Munchkin = 3 grams
  • 12 oz. Mountain Dew = 46 grams
  • 1 Panera cinnamon roll = 35 grams
  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt = 7 grams
  • 1 banana = 17 grams

Over consumption, not just of sugar but total calories, can lead to weight gain when not combined with regular exercise or physical activity. Diets high in sugar are linked to a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes especially in conjunction with obesity.

An individual with Type 2 diabetes has an increased resistance to insulin or their body is not producing adequate amounts of insulin. The pancreas produces this hormone (insulin) which regulates the body’s glucose levels. Insulin is released as a result of increased blood glucose levels and help the body metabolize it.

Swapping sugary snacks for those without added sugar or a sugar-free option is a simple way to start. Not only will this reduce your daily sugar intake, but may help with weight loss because of a decrease in the total calories being consumed.

Sugar can be classified into two categories: natural and added. Natural sugars are those that are found naturally in foods such as fruits or milk. Consuming these foods have additional nutritional benefits including fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.

Added sugars are those which have been added to the ingredients of foods and beverages. This includes white sugar, brown sugar, honey, syrup, and any caloric sweeteners (think adding sugar to coffee). Most added sugars in the American diet come from sodas, candy, cookies, cakes, etc. One can of soda can have over 40 grams of sugar- that’s way more than the RDA in just a single drink serving. Note that not all ingredient lists will list “sugar” and it can be found under other names when reading a label. These are some common names for added sugars:

  • Corn sweetener
  • Corn syrup
  • Fruit juice concentrates
  • High-fructose corn syrup
  • Invert sugar
  • Malt sugar
  • Molasses
  • Sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)

If you are interested in learning more about the sugar in your diet, start looking at labels and tracking your food. Apps such as My Fitness Pal and FitBit are useful tools for monitoring your sugar intake. The best recommendation? Moderation! If you would like more information on sugar, it can be found here!

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser