Dancers Pose

Besides nutrition, yoga is another one of my passions. It has amplitudes of health benefits and I think that everyone should give it a fair chance!

There is a stigma surrounding yoga, most men have it classified as a female sport, but this is far from the truth! Yoga has become the new cross training for men and women who are looking to increase their flexibility and condition their ENTIRE body. It will provide that extra little edge in your golf swing or hockey game, and makes you feel amazing all around!

It improves skeletal and muscular strength. While practicing yoga, pilates and weight training your body develops fast twitch muscle fibres, which help to boost your metabolism. Activities like running hockey help your body to develop slow twitch muscle fibres, these promote endurance during activities but they are less beneficial to your metabolism. A great marriage of activities is yoga and running, as you will develop a balance of both types of muscle fibres and both activities will balance each other out. Running is fantastic for your cardiovascular fitness, but like any activity, it can cause wear and tear on your joints and muscles, that’s where yoga comes in, stretching releases tension and tightness in your muscles that lead to soreness.

Yoga is a full body workout. 
In most sports such as hockey or soccer, you tend to utilize only 10 to 15 per cent of the muscle groups, whereas yoga provides movements that include every muscle, joint and organ. You use muscles you would never know you even have.  The movements oxygenate the blood, creating more energy when you finish the exercise as opposed to depleting the body of it. When I first started practicing yoga, what kept me going back to classes was the rush I felt  after a class, my teacher described it to me as a “yoga buzz”, its remarkable.  Cardiovascular, skeletal, muscular and endocrine systems are all exercised during practice, as the organs are massaged and cleansed during a class.

Stay tuned for part 2 ….

Pumpkin Curry

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 tbsp garlic, minced

½ large can pumpkin

1 can chickpeas or mix beans, rinsed

1 cup broccoli

¾ cup cauliflower

2 large carrots grated

1  green zucchini, cubed

1 ½ cups green beans

1 cup baby spinach

2 tbsp marsala seasoning-Club House brand

2 tsp hot red pepper flakes ( or more if you prefer)

Season to taste. (salt and pepper)

PREPARATION:

1- Soften onions, garlic  in the hot oiled wok or pan until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes.

2-Add vegetables starting with the green beans and broccoli. Stir for 5 minutes.

3-Add pumpkin, chickpeas and seasoning and baby spinach.

4- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Try this delicious dish with quinoa and a toasted piece of whole wheat pita for dipping! Halved Brussel sprouts are a nice addition to the variety of vegetables in this dish!

Looking for a protein boost? Add some chicken or tofu!

Popularity: 70% [?]

Ohhh December! Tis the season. Holiday parties, baking, feasts and alcohol are seemingly unavoidable, as they pop up everywhere you go! For me it is really a love-hate relationship. I thought it was only appropriate that I make holiday edition post. Here are some helpful hints that will help you to stay healthy but still enjoy the holidays!

Eat before the party: We all know that when we are over hungry, we are more prone to overeat, this can be devastating at a holiday party where you are surrounded by chocolate covered everything! Be sure to eat a wholesome meal before you leave, to avoid over indulging on sweets and high fat foods.

Watch your portion sizes: treat yourself a nice drink, dessert, chocolate or sweets without feeling guilty , but always remember to keep everything in moderation.  Try smaller portions, that way you can try a little bit of everything. Try splitting sweets with someone so you don’t feel obligated to clear you plate.

Alcohol or Dessert? instead of coolers, beer, and creamy liqueurs, try a nice VQA red wine or drinks with mix which are lower in calories. Vodka with soda and a lime is a refreshing and lower calorie choice! Its important to remember that calories from alcohol tend to be stored in the abdomen, hence “beer belly”.

Make your “treats” worthwhile: If you are going to treat yourself, ensure that you choose your treat wisely. You wouldn’t want to “waste” your treats on something you don’t truly LOVE.

Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee or espressos dehydrate your system. Drinking water before , during and after a meal can help prevent overeating. A tea after dinner is perfect to help the digestion process.

Physical activity: Don’t forget to try and include at least 30 minutes of exercise  2-3 times per week. Try to take nice walks with your family and friends and enjoy their company! Skiing and snowboarding are always popular winter sports!

Mango Chicken Stirfry

1 ½ tbsp sesame oil

12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces

1 ½  diced peppers ( any colour of your choice)

6-8 brussel sprouts, halved

¾ cup green beans

1 carrot grated

1 mango, peeled and diced

½ tsp red chili flakes

½ cup low sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp Hoisin sauce

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1tsp cracked black pepper

Preparation:

1- Heat oil in a wok, and brown the chicken.

2- Start adding the vegetables, starting with the brussel sprouts and

green beans as they will take the longest to cook.

3-Add stock and the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10-15 minutes.

4-Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Now here is a hot topic, the many benefits of green tea (Camellia sinensis). As you read through this keep an open mind, all of these benefits are not going to happen over night, aswell they are still being investigated.

Since ancient times green tea has been considered a health-promoting beverage. In recent years, researchers worldwide have investigated the potential benefits of green tea and its most abundant catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This very powerful antioxidant has been plastered all over health products recently and is labeled as green tea extract.

Unlike black tea, green tea production involves very little processing and fermentation and therefore, green tea brews are rich in catechins. Green tea has been rumored to have a number of potential health benefits in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, glucose homeostasis (blood sugar spikes and dips), bone and dental health. In addition to serving as antioxidant, green tea polyphenols may increase the activity of andioxidant enzymes in the small intestine, liver and lungs. While doing my research for this entry most studies concluded that although there is some promising evidence in all of these areas, more research and clinical trials are needed.

Due to the dramatic rise of obesity, metabolic syndrome (see definition below) and type 2 diabetes, green tea is now being looked into for its connections in these areas more than ever. Diet and exercise have been proven to be particularly important for prevention and early management of metabolic syndrome. It has been shown that green tea, when consumed on a daily basis, combined with a healthy active lifestyle supports health.

Finally, green tea may also boost you metabolism and fat oxidation and in particular during physical activity. Small and collective effects on digestion and metabolism could be responsible for the longer-tem effects of green tea on the body, and these long-term effects especially with moderate physical activity.

The September 2009 edition of Oxygen Magazine had an article that really caught my eye, called “Lose fat with green tea”. They suggest that ‘the more you drink, the more fat you can shed’. Now, I agree that there have been connections made between green tea and health benefits, but I feel that is a little early to be making statements like ‘loose 11 pounds’. Now don’t get me wrong, I love reading Oxygen for motivation but I just have a hard time believe such strong statements,  there is more to the story.

Even though there green tea lacks the scientific backing, I still give it a thumbs up, this is because it is packed full of antioxidants and with all the environmental stressors that we encounter each day it is essential that we fight back. I look forward to the results of future studies on green tea, I really do hope all of the potential benefits are true!

If you are a coffee drinker, green tea everyday may seem unreasonable. What I did was try substituting green tea where I would normally have coffee. This was hard at first but once you get into the green tea groove, you’ll find that you have completely forgotten about that wonderful taste of coffee.

What is metabolic syndrome?

It is a group of conditions that put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes. These conditions are:

-High blood pressure

-High blood sugar levels

-High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood

-Low levels of HDL, the ‘good’ fat, in your blood

-Too much fat around your waist (visceral fat)

There is much debate over the definition or cause of metabolic syndrome. The cause might be insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone your body produces to help you turn sugar from food into energy for your body. If you are insulin resistant, too much sugar builds up in your blood, setting the stage for disease.

MEDLINE PLUS

Tips for preparation:

-For green tea, heat the water to just below a boil, all other teas bring to a boil.

-steep for 3-5 minutes, if you are using a tea bag, dunk it a few times.

-try adding honey or lemon, it can help increase the absorption of all the green tea goodies.

-try it cold! It will keep for up to 3 days if refrigerated.

Turkey Burgers:

1 package of extra lean ground turkey

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 diced sauted onion

Pinch of salt of pepper

1 egg- try the Omega 3 variety

1/2 cup bran ( a sneaky way of adding fibre)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch of chili flakes (optional)

Preparation:

1- place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2- Form 4-5 patties. Preheat grill.

3- Spray grill with cooking spray and place patties on the grill.

4-Cook until they are no longer pink inside.

Popularity: 99% [?]