Just for the HEALTH of it!™

Week SEVEN

I am so sorry…I am late on my update!  It has been a very busy week and the days just got away!  Sound familiar to you?!  Don’t let life get in the way of your wellness….you can continue on! 

So push ups?!  I have recently discovered that I have very little upper body strength so these are TOUGH! 

I couldn’t do 30 at a time!  I had to break them up into groups of TEN. 

So what is the best way to get them done?

According to WEBMD:
                        http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/doing-the-perfect-push-up

Pushups are the “perfect exercise!”  "One of the reasons the push-up has endured so long is it's cheap, it's easy, it doesn't require any equipment, it can work multiple parts of the body at the same time -- and pretty much everyone, from beginners to athletes, can derive benefits," says personal trainer Jonathan Ross, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

What kind of benefits? If you're thinking the push-up is the best upper body exercise, many fitness experts agree. But, personal trainer Jessica Bottesch tells WebMD, the push-up benefits many muscle groups body-wide.

"The primary movers [the major muscle groups that produce the motion of a push-up] are the chest and tricep. However, if you look at the form your body takes during the perfect push-up, you're typically suspended from your toes all the way to your neck, so in reality, every muscle between your shoulders and your toes is engaged," says Bottesch, co-owner of Empower Personal Training in Durham, N.C.

This includes the all-important core muscles of the trunk, as well as the abdominal's, legs and hips, she says.

The Perfect Push-up: Measuring the Basics

Although there are many variations on the push-up, the basic principal remains the same: Engage your upper back, shoulders, and arms to lift your body weight off the floor, then slowly lower it back down. While that sounds simple, experts say there's plenty of room for mistakes.

"The biggest mistake people make when doing a push-up is to try and take some of the stress off their arms by using other muscle groups to help lift their body, so they don't get the full benefits," says Todd Schlifstein, DO, a rehabilitation physician at the Langone Medical Center's Rusk Institute at New York University and assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine.

Check out this video for tips on the PERFECT PUSH UP!
                   http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20809402,00.html

Processed Foods

Not food placed in a food processor…food that has been processed for YOUR convenience.  When we first thought of this challenge, I thought, “No big deal!  I don’t eat processed food!”  Until I had conversations with others and thought a little deeper about what “Processed” means.

You can experience processed foods at many levels!  Similar to the whole MEATLESS challenge…stoop to the level that you can LIVE with!

For example-Heavily Processed foods may fit this description: Frozen of pre-made meals including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners.  Or “ready to eat” foods such as crackers, granolas, granola bars, or deli meat.  AKA-TV dinners, snacky foods.

          The problems with these types of meals are they are LOADED with hidden unhealthiness.

• Fat
• Sodium
• Preservatives
• Sugar
• Colors
• Sweeteners

READ the LABELS!  Look at the nutrition information.   Look at the ingredients!  You might be surprised what makes up some of the convenience or quick snack!

Minimally Processed Foods-Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt, cake mixes or breads.  STILL PROCESSED, but not as bad as your TV Dinner-Lunchmeat varieties.  

BEWARE-these also have those additives that are HIDDEN!  Sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives…

Sometimes the salad dressing are what RUINS the salad in terms of making a salad UNHEALTHY.  Or many consider yogurt a great source of protein but they add SUGAR or SWEETNERS to make it palatable.  And the favorite jar of pasta sauce…loaded with added oils, sugar, preservatives.

Bread-this is a tough one!  You MUST read the labels. Many multigrain types of bread are actually made with white flour (processed!!) and have added sugar and coloring and less fiber.  Healthier Choice: Look for bread with 100 percent whole wheat on the label and whole wheat flour listed as the first ingredient on the nutrition panel. This will provide you with a healthy amount of complex carbohydrates and fiber to help you feel fuller, longer.

Take a few extra minutes to “Process” it yourself in your food processor!  You might be surprised how AMAZING a FRESH batch can taste compared to the jar and you have control over the ingredients!  Don’t need to add all the salt-add more spices!

Processed for Freshness:  This is where you need to decide what works best for YOUR lifestyle!  There a foods that technically are processed and packaged by a “middle man” because we all don’t live on a FARM!  Such as bagged spinach, cut vegetables and roasted nuts — are often simply pre-prepped for convenience. Or foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned beans, tomatoes, frozen fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna.

This one is a TRUE Challenge! Is going to make you think differently about food, ingredients, and how things are made!  I think it is safe to say that heavily processed and minimally processed foods are examples of what you should try to steer clear of this week.  If you want to choose the “processed for freshness” it is VERY POSSIBLE to live this type of lifestyle too for the purposes of this challenge!  Stretch your thinking…YOUR CHOICE!!

I have made my own vegetable broth, baked my own whole wheat bread…not a bad start!!

                    http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/nutrition-facts-and-food-labels/avoiding-processed-foods

Art Therapy

Art is not just for kids….we can all escape from stress and have our mind focus on simple and creative work!

Benefits of Art:
One of the reasons that clinical art therapy is effective is that the act of drawing and creating art can help you relieve stress in several ways. Here are some ways that creating art can alleviate stress:
•    Distraction: Drawing and art can take your mind off of what’s stressing you, at least for a few minutes. And when you’re finished being engrossed in your sketches, you should have a clearer head with which to tackle your problems again.
•    Flow: There’s a certain quality of being called “flow”, that experts say is very beneficial for us. This refers to a state of being completely engaged in something to the point of being in a near meditative state. It carries many of the benefits of meditation, leaving you much less stressed when you’re done. You can experience ‘flow’ when you’re doing creative activities like writing, and even gardening. You can also get it from drawing.
•    Self Care: Just the act of having a hobby can make you feel more balanced in your lifestyle. Sometimes with all of life’s responsibilities, we forget that we need and deserve ‘down time’ and self care. Taking even a few minutes on a regular basis to devote to a hobby can give you more of what you need in this area. And, with drawing, you have the additional benefit of being left with something beautiful (or at least interesting) to show for it!

                                 http://stress.about.com/od/funandgames/a/learningtodraw.htm

SO HAVE FUN! Be creative!