FEATURED ARTICLES

• Swimming health benefits
• Health Benefits of Swimming
• Swimming for Better Health
• Benefits of swimming
• stay fit swimming

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

With the warm weather comes the opening of public pools and home pools and people break out the bathing suit for another season of swimming. For many people, swimming is a good way to wind down after a long day.  But others are using swimming as another means of exercise, and they are finding that exercise in the spring and summertime can be fun!

Swimming is an excellent way to lose weight and strength train all the while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. 

Exercise experts recommend swimming as a form of exercise because of the great cardiovascular workout you get from swimming.  It is considered a great aerobic exercise because it is an action that maintains an elevated heartbeat for a minimum of 20 minutes. 

You can simply add swimming to your pre-existing aerobic workout to help switch things up and keep your workouts fresh.  Alternate days that you decide to use swimming as your cardio for that day, so you don’t get bored with any one workout.

Like any exercise, you should also start any swimming workout routine by stretching first. You may not realize the affect swimming has on your entire body until it is too late, so be sure to stretch appropriately before you begin. Then start off slow by swimming strides and gradually increasing your speed in the pool.  This will help to elevate your heart rate at a safe pace and help you to last longer during your workout.

Swimming, and using swimming as your key workout, is more about endurance than quickness.  Experts suggest starting out swimming laps for approximately 20 minutes for women and 30 minutes for men.  You can begin to increase your time as necessary and as you continue your workout over the course of weeks or months. 

Again, this will prevent you from getting too tired, too sore, wore out or disappointed in your swimming workout. Try out different strokes when you are swimming, too.  Do some laps using the breaststroke, then switch up and do the backstroke, or even the doggy paddle.  Each swimming stroke using a different variety of muscles and therefore will give you the best overall workout.

• Jump rope
• Benefits of jump rope
• Jump rope exercises

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Get jumping into June with this 30-day Jump Rope Challenge.

Each “rep” would be one jump over the rope or revolution.

Day 1: 50 reps

Day 2: 150 reps

Day 3: 90 reps

Day 4: 150 reps

Day 5: 125 reps

Day 6: REST

Day 7: REST

Day 8: 165 reps

Day 9: 150 reps

Day 10: 200 reps

Day 11: 150 reps

Day 12: 235 reps

Day 13: REST

Day 14: REST

Day 15: 225 reps

Day 16: 150 reps

Day 17: 310 reps

Day 18: 150 reps

Day 19: 350 reps

Day 20: REST

Day 21: REST

Day 22: 385 reps

Day 23: 150 reps

Day 24: 425 reps

Day 25: 150 reps

Day 26: 465 reps

Day 27: REST

Day 28: REST

Day 29: 500 reps

Day 30: 150 reps

• benefits of watermelon
• healthy watermelon
• Watermelon benefit
• health benefits of watermelon
• watermelon recipes

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

• Watermelons are made up of 90% water.
• Watermelons are chock full of a considerable amount of vitamins A and C.
• They contain thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate and niacin in small amounts.
• They are a great source of potassium, and also contain magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and iron in trace amounts.
• Watermelons are also very low in calories, free of fats and cholesterol and are rich in carotenoids.

Recipe: Cajun Chicken with Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons mild chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets 

Mix together the spices.  Coat the chicken cutlets with the spice mixture.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and place chicken in pan.  Blacken on both sides and sauté just until cooked through.  Top with Watermelon Mint Salsa and serve immediately.

Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup diced seeded tomato
• Minced seeded jalapeno to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• ½ cup chopped fresh scallion

Toss ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe: Grilled Scallop and Watermelon Kebabs

• 12 sea scallops
• 4 cups boiling vegetable or chicken broth
• 24- 1”x1” watermelon cubes
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger

Cut the scallops into halves across the diameter to create half-moon shapes.  Place them in a heatproof casserole dish in a single layer.  Pour the boiling clear broth over the scallops and let them poach for 5 minutes.  Drain and cool the scallops.  On each skewer alternate one half-moon scallop, then two watermelon cubes, then one half-moon scallop.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and brush the kebabs as they are grilled over a medium-hot grill for 90 seconds per side, turning only once.  Serve warm.

• sunburn
• prevent sunburn
• nasty sunburn
• prevent sunburns
• sunburn tips

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

We have all been there before – a long day at the beach or outdoors turns our skin into a pretty bad case of sunburn!  Instead of dealing with the affects for a few days or even a week after the burn, we offer these natural ways to help your skin heal and to help you feel better in no time.

Of course, there are plenty of sunburn treatment lotions out on the market, but anything that contains a high amount of vitamin E or contains aloe vera will help to alleviate the pain of sunburn.  The vitamin E and aloe vera add nutrients to the skin that UV rays have unbalanced.  The aloe vera also cools your skin, helping to reduce the pain. 

You may also find some good sunburn treatments right in your kitchen cabinet.  Vinegar, mustard, yogurt, tomatoes, and avocado all contain that extra vitamin E that will help to cool your skin.

• melanoma
• developing melanoma
• Melanoma treatments
• Melanoma Awareness Month

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

(Continued from Part I…)

How is melanoma diagnosed?

Step one: Physical exam. Your doctor will ask questions about your health history and examine your skin to look for signs that may indicate melanoma.

Step two: Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy). To determine whether a suspicious skin lesion is melanoma, your doctor may recommend removing a sample of skin for testing.

“The type of biopsy procedure your doctor recommends will depend on your particular situation. Most often doctors recommend removing the entire growth when possible. One common technique, the punch biopsy, is done with a circular blade that's pressed into the skin around the suspicious mole. Another technique, called an excisional biopsy, uses a scalpel to cut away the entire mole and a small margin of healthy tissue around it.”

How is melanoma staged? 

Melanoma is staged using the Roman numerals 0 through IV. At stage 0 and stage I, a melanoma is small and has a very successful treatment rate. But the higher the numeral, the lower the chances of a full recovery. By stage IV, the cancer has spread beyond your skin to other organs, such as your lungs or liver.

How can you prevent melanoma? 

• Avoid the sun during the middle of the day.
• Wear sunscreen year-round.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Avoid tanning lamps and beds.
• Have your moles checked regularly.
• Contact your dermatologist if a mole changes in shape, size or color.