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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
If you are looking for something different to do to change your typical workout routine, pick up a set of resistance bands and give some of these exercises a try!
Resistance Band Training
Front Squat - Stand on a tube band with the feet slightly wider than your shoulders and center of the band between the feet. Holding a handle in each hand, bring the top of the band over each shoulder, securing the band in place by crossing your arms at your chest. Sit straight down, chest up, abs firm, pressing your knees out over your toes. Rise back up to start position and repeat for 8-12 reps.
Bent Over Row - Stand over the center of the band with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend slightly at the knees and hinge at the waist, keeping your hips back. Grasp each handle with hands facing the outside of your knees. With elbows bent, pull the band up toward your hips, squeezing your shoulder blades together until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Lower and row for 10-12 reps.
Bench Press - Anchor a tube band on the bench legs, and lie on the bench, face up. Grabbing a handle in each hand. position them at shoulder
height (so your thumbs touch the front of your shoulders). Extend the arms straight up overhead to full extension, moving your hands toward each other at the top. Lower back down and repeat for 10-12 reps.
Overhead Press - Stand over the center of a tube band with feet shoulder-width apart. Grip each handle, positioning your hands at shoulder level with palms facing each other so your thumbs touch your shoulders. Press straight up, rotating your palms forward as you fully extend your arms. Lower back down slowly and repeat for 8-10 reps.
Russian Twist - Sit on the floor with legs extended, wrapping the center of the band around the bottom of your feet. Hold the free ends in each hand. Slightly bend your knees, keeping your feet on the floor, and lean back at a 45-degree angle. Rotate the band right by bringing your left hand across your body and your right hand down by your right hip. Contracting your oblique muscles, bring the band toward your right hip while keeping your middle and low back neutral. Return to starting position and rotate left then right for a total of 10-12 reps on each side.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
- Plums, and their dried version known as prunes, are very high in phytonutrients, which function as an antioxidant and provide much benefit to the body.
- Eating plums helps in the production and absorption of iron in the body, thereby leading to better blood circulation leading further to the growth of healthy tissues.
- Consuming plums on a regular basis will help prevent macular degeneration and other eye infections.
- Researchers have also found that plums contain anti-cancer agents that prevent the growth of cancerous cells and tumors.
Health benefits of eating plums
Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Plum Salsa and Basmati Rice
1 ½ cups of water
1 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed and drained
¾ pound plums, pitted and chopped
½ medium red onion, minced
3 habanero peppers, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Place water in medium saucepan and stir in rice. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and fluff with fork. In a bowl, mix the plums, peppers, onions, cilantro and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium-heat. Place chicken in oil and brown 1 minute per side. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 additional minutes per side. Serve over rice with plum salsa.
Recipe: Fresh Summer Fruit Salad
½ cup water
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
15 seedless grapes, halved
½ orange, sectioned
10 fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1 apple, cored and diced
1 peach, sliced
1 plum, pitted and sliced
15 pitted Bing cherries
¼ cup fresh blueberries
Bring water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the rhubarb, turn heat to low, cover and simmer until rhubarb is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Mash and chill in the refrigerator about one hour. To serve, mix the grapes, orange, strawberries, apple, peach, plum, cherries, and blueberries with 2/3 cup of the rhubarb sauce. Stir gently, but thoroughly to coat. Refrigerate for at least two hours for all of the flavors to blend well.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
It's getting warmer and it's almost time for picnics, barbecues, and outdoor parties! But just because you aren't choosing all of your meals, that doesn't mean that you have to pack on the pounds this summer. Keep these tips in mind at your next picnic:
Healthy Picnic Food
- Choose lean ground meat when making burgers. You should also try low-fat hot dogs, sausages and bratwurst and other grilled favorites.
- Seafood and chicken are great grilled foods and are both still healthy picnic options.
- Don't forget your greens and mix in a salad to your picnic or party menu.
- Remember your veggies as they are also great on the grill and in side dishes, especially summer time veggies like squash and zucchini.
Instead of chocolate desserts, think fruity desserts instead, and take advantage of a season when fruits are plenty.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
healtySpring is here again and it's time to take advantage of all those great springtime fruits and vegetables. Here's how to choose the best ones:
Right Spring Foods
- Apricots : slightly soft, not bruised
- Artichoke : compact head, bright green color
- Asparagus : closed and compact tips, bright green stalks
- Avocado : should be a little “give” when squeezed
- Carrots : crisp, healthy tops
- Collard Greens : dark green, vibrant color
- Mango : more orange/red than green
- New Potatoes : last only a few days
- Pineapple : sniff the bottom for sweet aroma, check for firmness
- Rhubarb : check for bright, crisp stalks
- Spinach : avoid dried out or yellow stems
- Strawberries : pick fragrant, slightly soft ones
- Sugar Snap/Snow Peas : bright green, should feel like they have a snap (not limp)
And while you are grabbing those great spring fruits and vegetables, it's also time to get rid of some of those bad foods, too!
While they may be quick and easy, oftentimes processed foods are causing you more harm than good. If you are looking to get healthy and lose some weight in the process, then you must get rid of these processed foods.
- Flavored yogurt
- Fat free potato chips
- Diet soda
- Instant oatmeal
- Packaged egg whites
- Bottled barbeque sauces
- Bottled salad dressings
- Sugar free candy bars
- Multi-grain tortilla chips
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
Here are some surprising clues that could mean that you are more apt to being diagnosed with skin cancer than others,
Skin Cancer Risks
Clue #1: You wear flip-flops often. If you wear flip-flops most of the spring and summer, your feet are prone to more sun exposure and sun damage than those who wear socks and shoes.
Clue #2: You wear baseball hats. While baseball hats protect your head from sun damage, your ears are constantly exposed and are often overlooked when your skin is checked for signs of skin cancer.
Clue #3: You are a male. Whether it's habits, hormones or genes, or even a combination of these three, men have three times as many squamous cancer cells and twice as many basal cancer cells as women. Also, white men over the age of 50 have the highest incidence of melanoma.
Clue #4: You have dark skin. While skin with more pigment has a natural shield against UV rays, many African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Indians get a false sense of security and
typically, do not pay much attention to protecting their skin from these harmful rays. Skin cancer is also detected much later in dark skinned people, therefore making it harder to treat.
Clue #5: You live in the South or in the Mountains. Rates of skin cancer are obviously higher in places that receive more sunlight, like in the South or in the Mountains. Altitude is also a factor as UV radiation increases about 4 to 5 percent for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
Clue #6: You are a runner, cyclist or swimmer. The more miles men and women run the greater their chance of acquiring skin cancer. The same goes for swimmers and cyclists who spend countless hours out in the climate.
Clue #7: You have a lot of moles. The average Caucasian has 30 moles : relatively round spots that are brown, red or pink. But the moles that are asymmetrical, with raggedy borders, discoloration or changing size, are the ones that are more likely to develop into melanoma. People over the age of 20 with more than 100 moles or people under the age of 20 with more than 50 moles are also at risk
