Good Friday, April 22, 2011

Quote for the day: Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world’s perfect food!

Michael Levine, nutrition researcher.

See ‘chocolate-facts’ below to support this  interesting quote.

Happy Easter friends!

Do you want to indulge in some chocolate over the next week? If the answer is “yes” then make sure you read on and try a few of these great “choc-burning” work-outs to negate your naughtiness… Easter often means justifying the consumption of delicious chocolate! Well, here a few suggestions of exercise sessions you could benefit from doing during your choc-fest!  They are not time consuming, all take under 30 minutes… so forget the excuses and get active over Easter!

Enjoy….the exercise that is! 😉

Stair-burn: Find a set of stairs and either walk (one or two at a time) or run (depending on your current fitness level) for 20-30min. A terrific choc-burning butt and leg work-out!

Water-run: Different is good so don’t be afraid to try this fantastic exercise. Go to your local swimming pool and borrow a water-running vest (just ask the life guard). Jump in the deep end (you won’t sink the vest will keep you bouyant) and tread water in a running motion for as long as you can (I recommend 15-30 min ). This exercise burns plenty of kilojoules due to the water resistance and is easy on the joints if you are sore or restricted to non-weight bearing activity.

Tabata bike-spin: I have talked about the benefits of the Tabata Protocol before however there is no better time to mention it again than Easter! Simple, effective and a super-burner; perfect for the guilty chocoholic! Commit to 8 x 20 sec intense efforts (relative to your fitness) of bike spinning with a 10 sec rest in between each 20 sec interval. Warm up for 5 min before you begin the intense efforts and cool down for 3 min after you finish the intervals.

Hill-repeats: Locate a hill or inclined path and walk to the top as fast as you can. Walk back down and repeat again. Try and complete at least 6 hills (depending on the length of the hill/incline of course). If you have a high fitness level and conditioned for hill running  you could run instead of walk up the hills.

Fartlek-fun: Commit to 30 min of continuous walking or running (depending on your current fitness level) and include 4-8 intervals of increased intensity. Fartlek is the Swedish name for “speed-play”. Don’t worry how long you increase the pace for, vary it from 20 sec to 2 min. For example, power-walk or increase your running speed from one tree to the next or one sign-post to another street-sign in your vision ahead.  Have fun with it and pretend it’s a game like you played when you were a little kid!

Home circuit Buddy-style: Grab a friend or family member and ‘buddy-train’ those chocolate eggs off! Take it in turns to complete the circuit – one person is the timer and the other person circuit challenger. Complete each of these exercises for 30 seconds then move on to the next activity. Perform this circuit 3-6 times with minimum rest in between. (1) Step-ups (on box, step or small bench) (2) Push-up’s (on toes if experienced; knees if beginner) (3) Squats (body weight) (4) Bridge (core stability exercise – on knees if a beginner) (5) Skipping (with rope or jogging on the spot if you don’t have a rope). Ensure you perform each exercise with good technique, if you’re unsure about specific techniques I recommend you choose another activity that requires less technique and/or co-ordination. Feel free to contact me for further instructions.

*N.B Disclaimer: This is not a specific personalised exercise prescription. If you have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions please consult your doctor before participating in any of these activities. In addition to this if you have not been exercising for a long period of time I recommend you get a health check before undergoing an exercise regime.

Chocolate fact: Why does chocolate make us feel so good? Chocolate contains more than 500 natural chemical compounds, some of which are mood-elevating and pleasure-inducing. The compound most responsible for this feeling of pleasure after eating chocolate is Phenylethylamine (PEA). It releases natural feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins, the same chemical released when people fall in love.

So, chemically speaking chocolate could really be the world’s perfect food…well, it sounds good anyway, especially at Easter!

Topic of the week: Living-Apart Relationships

According to Australian Institute of Family Studies a large percentage of Australian couples are choosing to live in separate homes. Of the single population in relationships about 24% are not living together and sometimes even married couples are no longer living  in the same home.

I guess that’s the new trend of a living-apart-together generation!

Food of the week: Miso

Have you thought of including Miso in your diet? If you are a vegetarian or vegan this highly nutritious food would be a beneficial addition to your diet. It’s a naturally fermented food made from cooked soybeans and either cooked rice, barley, wheat or buckwheat that has been impregnated with the organism Aspergillus oryzae, called Koji. During a long fermentation process in wooden vats sea salt and spring water are added to make this soup. Miso is high in protein, including all the essential amino acids and calcium and is also a source of Vitamin B12. The enzymes and bacteria in it also help proper digestion.

What is Plantar fasciitis? Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that causes inflammation to the connective tissue along the sole from the heel to the ball of the foot. It is commonly associated with sudden changes in weight bearing intensity and/or volume. Certain people are at greater risk of this injury including: runners, dancers, flat-footed or high-arched people, overweight and pregnant people or those who stand of their feet for long periods. Poor  footwear can contribute to this injury also. Please contact me if you would like an information sheet on a guide to prevention and management of plantar fasciitis.

Please feel free to comment on today’s post or just say “hi”…it would be great to hear from you all!

Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal: If you can afford a few dollars please be generous and donate some money to this wonderful cause…our children are our future!  www.goodfridayappeal.com.au

Enjoy Easter friends…be happy and take care! 🙂

Cherie

If you haven’t already seen this current video footage from last months guiding expedition in the Himalayas check it out now…amazing viewing!  http://blog.trekclimbski.com.au/