Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

©Galina Barskaya

We’re a month into the new year. If you had a fitness resolution for 2015, are you on or off the wagon?

As the first month of the year progresses, we tend to ease back into old routines – working late, shuttling kids to soccer or dance – and our good intentions to be more active, eat less junk, cook more whole foods, get to more yoga classes lose their urgency. Don’t fret! Every day presents an opportunity for the beginning of a new routine.

Do-Anywhere Fitness Routine

The following no-equipment exercise routine, that combines cardio and resistance training exercises using your body weight, can be done just about anywhere. Use this routine to get yourself back on the fitness wagon or to keep yourself going strong with your fitness resolution!

To print a PDF copy of the routine with pictures, see Do Anywhere Exercise Routine Outline

Warm up – Dynamic stretches:

shoulder rolls (forward, back) – 10 each
torso twists (side to side) – 20 total
leg swings (forward/back) – 10 each leg
ankle hops – 10 each ankle

Main Routine:

Aim for: 2 – 3 times per week (1 – 5 sets):

Jumping jacks – (10-20 repetitions)
Push ups – 10-20
High Knees – 10-20 (each side)
Squats – (10-12)
Mountain climbers – 10-20 (each side)
One-legged hip raises – 10-20 (each hip)
Lunges – 10-12 (each leg)
Bird-Dogs – 10-20 (each side)
Shuffles – 10-20 (each direction)
Crunches – 10-20

Quick video of Side Shuffles

Cool down – Static stretches (hold 20-60 seconds each):

flamingo
zipper stretch
side bends
downward dog
seated toe touches

Build Momentum

If you’re tight on time, start with 1 set and add more sets on another day. Aim to increase the number of sets as you commit more time to your fitness routine.

If motivation is your issue, set a timer for 30 minutes and do as much of the routine as you can in that time, and then stop! Try it again two days later adding 5 more minutes to the timer.

Successes like completing a set or two of exercises, losing an inch around the waist, climbing the stairs without being out of breath, whether big or small for you, build on more success.

Keep working at your fitness one day at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be craving your fitness time instead of letting everything else get in the way.

Recipe of the Week: Brown Rice Crepes

Get to Know Your Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamin B-12 and Magnesium

©Dana Rothstein

One of the top questions we get from friends, family and clients is:

“What types of vitamins should I be taking?”

And the answer to this question is:

“It depends!”

We are all unique and have varying nutrition habits. These two factors are important in determining whether our bodies are getting and absorbing the vitamins and minerals needed for proper functioning. Other factors like aging, diseases and infections can also affect vitamin and mineral intake???? So, the more important questions to ask are:

“What should I know about vitamins and minerals?” and “How can I make sure I’m getting what I need?”

Basics about Vitamins & Minerals

©Rodolfo Arpia

We have talked about vitamins and minerals in a earlier post titled, Getting all Your Vitamins & Minerals. It was an introduction to the subject, which we hope provided you a good base on the subject. You might want to refresh your memory by re-reading that post.

There are other sources for information about vitamins and minerals that you can check including:

New Feature

Interest in the subject continues to be high, and so as a follow-up to our earlier post, we are introducing a new series of feature posts that will highlight 1 vitamin and 1 mineral each time.

This feature is not meant to be an exhaustive description or medical recommendation, but rather a highlight of the basics from a nutritionist’s perspective.

We begin this month by featuring Vitamin B-12 and Magnesium.

Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin)

© Zerbor | Dreamstime.com - Chemical Formula Of Vitamin B12 Photo

Also known as cobalamin, Vitamin B-12 is essential for a number of functions including protecting nerve cells and brain health, producing DNA, and producing red blood cells, with help from folate. It is also important in metabolizing fatty acids and amino acids.

Vitamin B-12 has a complex chemical structure that contains cobalt, hence also called cobalamin. This vitamin cannot be produced by our bodies or by animals or plants, but instead is produced by bacteria and certain microorganisms (archaea) because they have the necessary enzymes to synthesize it.

How do I get vitamin B-12?

Vitamin B-12 is naturally present is many foods, primarily animal and seafood, and is often added to certain foods like cereals, non-dairy milks, meat substitutes, nutritional yeast, and others. This vitamin may also be present in small amounts in other foods that are of a fermented nature or cultured from bacteria, such as mushrooms, tempeh, miso, etc.

©Pdiaz

According to World’s Healthiest Foods, the top sources of vitamin B-12 foods are:

Sardines, salmon, tuna, cod, lamb, scallops, shrimp
Beef, yogurt, cow’s milk, eggs
turkey, chicken, cheese, crimini mushrooms

Visit the above link for details on serving sizes, calories, micrograms of vitamin B-12 contained in the foods, nutrient density and their healthiest food rating. Another list of conventional foods containing vitamin B-12 is provided by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Who should be most concerned about their intake?

Vegetarians and vegans should be particularly concerned with their nutritional intake to make sure they get enough vitamin B-12. Studies on plant sources of vitamin B-12 have shown that the level of vitamin B-12 present in these foods are quite low so if you do not eat animal products or seafood you might consider taking vitamin B-12 supplements.

Older adults, people with gastrointestinal disorders or who had gastrointestinal surgery, and those with pernicious anemia may also be at risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency and should carefully consider their diet to include the proper vitamin B-12 rich foods.

Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin, hence a concern about toxicity related to taking in more than needed is typically not an issue. However, if you are taking vitamin B-12 supplements there may be some interactions with other medications.

In all the above cases, consult with your health care practitioner to make an informed decision about supplements, their interaction with other medications, and proper diet.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an abundant mineral found in our bodies, mostly within bones and soft tissues, but also in blood serum. It is essential for the functioning of hundreds of enzymes and over 300 chemical reactions in our bodies. Magnesium creates and maintains bone health, enables producing energy, maintains balance of our nervous system, and helps control inflammation and blood sugar levels.

How do I get magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral found in vegetables such as green, leafy vegetables, in fruits, nuts and whole grains. According the World’s Healthiest Foods, top sources of magnesium include:

spinach, swiss chard, beet greens
pumpkin seeds, summer squash, turnip greens
a variety of beans, sesame seeds, quinoa, tempeh, buckwheat, brown rice, barley, variety of nuts
tuna, scallops
raspberries, cantaloupe, strawberries, and other fruits

©Pdiaz

For a full list of foods containing magnesium and their nutritional values, visit World’s Healthiest Foods.

A lengthy list of magnesium food sources is also provided by the US National Institutes of Health.

Magnesium is also added to foods like breakfast cereal, and can be purchased as supplements.

Who should focus on magnesium intake?

People with gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s or celiac, type 2 diabetes, alcohol dependence, and older adults may be deficient in magnesium primarily because they:

May not be eating a proper diet with magnesium,
Are unable to absorb the magnesium,
May be excreting too much of the magnesium ingested.

Once again, as with vitamin B-12, we recommend that you consult with your health care practitioner to make sure you are getting the proper levels of magnesium for your circumstances.

It’s fascinating to see how each vitamin and mineral plays a role in the proper functioning of our bodies! We will periodically highlight more vitamins and minerals over the next few months. We hope you enjoy this new feature.

References: