360' Diet

Try it!

2011-08-21T19:28:00.000-04:00

A Guide to Running: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Based on you're experience with running, choose a level that fits you, then choose the training plan that goes with that. This will help

you towards you're goal of improving you're 5k time and/or completing you're first race. While training, you will then need to have

outstanding nutrition, and a runner's body, this will keep you from injuries, and getting sick. For every level start out with nutrition and

workouts while you are training for a race or to become more fit and healthy.

Beginner- Training for a 5k race is a great way to get in shape, and get healthy. You will get lots of enjoyment from running, and

completing a race of you're choice. This plan is a step by step way to get out and run a great race.

Intermediate- This level includes the beginning of getting you're finish times much faster, and getting more competitive. Hopefully you

have completed atleast one race by now. Also keeping with nutrition and working out is still very important.

Advanced- This will break down into the most competitive training, including speed workouts and endurance running. Again you're

nutrition habits and workouts are very important, keeping a toned, and muscular body will keep you light and fast.

Beginner-
Mondays and Fridays: Mondays and Fridays are rest days. Rest is critical to your recovery and injury prevention efforts, so don't ignore

rest days. Your muscles actually build and repair themselves during your rest days. So if you run every day without taking days off, you

won’t see much improvement.

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays: After you warm up, run at a comfortable pace for the designated mileage. Make sure you cool

down and stretch after your run.

Each week, you'll increase your runs by a quarter mile, which is a lap on most outdoor tracks. If most of your runs are on the road and

you’re not sure how far you run, you can figure out the mileage by using sites such as MapMyRun.com. Or, you can always drive your

route in your car and measure the mileage using your car odometer.

Wednesdays: Do a cross-training (CT) activity (biking, swimming, elliptical trainer) at easy to moderate effort for 30 to 40 minutes. If

you're feeling very sluggish or sore, take a rest day. .

Sundays: This is an active recovery day. Your run should be at an easy (EZ), comfortable pace, which helps loosen up your muscles. Or,

you can do a run/walk combination

Week 1- Run days include, 1 mile, 2m, 1.5m, 2.5m, 2m
Week2- 2m, 3m, 2.5m, 3m, ,3m
Weeks 3-6- 3m, 4m, 2m, 3.5m, 3m

Week of race- 2m, 4m, 2.5m, 2o minutes easy

Intermediate- Advanced, this includes very competitive race training.
Each week includes one rest day, Monday through Sunday.
Week:
1 - off,4M Fartlek,
(5M) ,3M ,6M, 3M, 5m
2 -off,4M Fartlek,
(5M), 3M, 5M,6M, 5M
3 - off,3M 5-6 Hills,
5K pace, 3M, 6M, 3M, 7M

4 - OFF, 5M ,5 x 440s
5K pace, 4M, 5M ,3M, 6M
5 -Off, 5M 4-5 long hills
5K pace 4M 6M 3M 5K race
(Or 6M)
6 -Off, 4M, 5 x 880s
5K pace, 6M ,5M, 4M, 8M
7 -Off, 5M, 5-6 long hills
5K pace, 6M, 5M, 4M, 7M
8 Off 5M 6 x 880s
5K pace 6M 5M 4M 8M

9 -Off, 5M, 7 x 440s
5K pace, 9M, 5M, 7M 5K race
(Or 7M)
10- Off, 7 x 440s
5K pace, 3M ,5M, 5 x Fast 440s
5K minus 10 secs 4M, 6M
11- Off ,5 x hills
5K pace, 9M ,5M 5 x 880s
5K pace, 4M, 9M
12- Off ,6 x 440s
5K pace, 9M ,3M, Off, 8M, Race Day

Appetite Suppressing Foods

2011-08-14T20:55:00.003-04:00

Top Appetite Suppressing Foods

An apple a day keeps the doctor away- soluble fiber in apples, called pectin, reduces the amount of sugar and calories that is absorbed into your bloodstream after a meal. It also prevents spikes in blood sugar that leads to fat storage.

Get rid of hunger with bran- fiber is a type of carb that you can not digest. This means no calories. Wheat bran is the richest source. Fill your stomach with one glass of water or 2 tablespoons of bran, and you will stop the release of the hunger hormone ghrelin for about an extra hour. Bran also absorbs the water and moisture in the stomach, like a sponge. It expands the stomach and makes you feel full, so you will end up eating much less. Start with a small amount, then increase. Take this with meals. It is good in shakes or apple sauce. Drink lots of liquids to prevent cramps. The best time is breakfast, after dinner or before bedtime. Then have at least 12 ounces of water.

Drink Green Tea and Stay Lean- Green tea contains a phytonutrient called EGCG, which increases the CCK hormone that is responsible for giving your body the feeling of satiation. It also stimulates your metabolism by activating thermogenesis, which burns energy and fat. If drunken daily it will help prevent storage of extra body fat, and the ability for your body to burn fat quick. EGCG liquid tablets help avoid cravings, drinks tea before and after, and between meals. Do not take if your are suffering from hypothyroidism.Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Blend (Green Tea), 100% Japanese Green Tea Leaves, 100 Tea Bags

From the Vine- Acetic acid helps prevent spikes in blood sugar and lowers the glycemic index of foods. Red wine vinegar contains nutrients such as the antioxidant resveratrol that has been shown to protect the heart. Ability to fight cravings for 1 to 1 and a half hours, depending on the meal consumed. Fat metabolism in your liver can be more than 3 hrs. Take a table spoon of red wine vinegar with sparkling water with meals

Pine Nuts- The omega 6 fatty acid found in pine nuts called pinolenic acid has been shown to increase the release of satiety hormones. This promotes weight loss and reduces food intake. Pinolenic acid stimulates the release of CCK, the hormone that suppresses hunger. Satiety lasts thirty minutes, sometimes up to two hours. Great snack on the go, very tasty in pesto and veggie dishes, or even salad and whole grain noodles.Raw Pine Nuts 16 ounce (1 Pound Bag)

Pesto- 2 cups of fresh basil, 1 cup of kale, half cup of pine nuts, half of a green apple sliced, half cup of olive oil, 2 tblsp of red wine vinegar , one clove of garlic, 1/4 tsp of pink rock salt or sea salt. Optional: one tsp of EGCG extract. Put ingredients in a blender. Store airtight in glass jar in your fridge. Served with whole grain, high bran crackers.

Enjoy!..thank you Dr. Oz

Health Tip of the Day

2011-08-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

How much water should you have in a day?

You are probably aware that it is crucially important to drink water. At least eight glasses in one full day. Although you should drink more when it is hot outside, or after a workout.

There are a few signs of dehydration that WEBMD says they are important to notice. Here are the signs:

Thirst
Dry mouth
Sticky Saliva
Dark colored urine
Lack of energy

It can be very difficult to drink so much water that is healthy, and also the difficulty of keeping track. Although, the only way to make sure you are hydrated, we should strive toward those eight minimum glasses per day. Here are some tips to staying hydrated.

Add flavor!: Eventually it can get very boring and plain drinking all that water everyday. So to change things up, just add a teaspoon or less of lemon juice. Try not to add too much juice if that is your alternative, because of all the sugar content.

Keep your own Log: Post your number of glasses on a sticky paper or notepad, to keep track of how much water you drank. Put it either on your calender, or fridge. This way, there is no way you can miss it, and forget.

Club Soda: Some club sodas even have different flavors, but watch out for sugar amounts.

Drink water when you are hungry: Carry a water bottle around at all times! This will make it easy for you to fight cravings, and just drink some water to get you full. Take your bottle wherever you go. Like yard work, work desk, practice, walking, during meals, and anywhere you go.

Carbohydrates: Improving Health

2011-08-10T19:51:00.002-04:00

Improving Health one molecule at a time

Carbohydrates are a large part of nutrition that can protects, and improve people's health. To begin with, carbs are organic molecules that contain the element of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that bond together. Their sub particles change depending on the type of carbohydrate, being broken down once digested, and use as storage for energy. This is eventually used as energy, like an engine. The body ends up using it's glucose as a source of energy, and a metabolic stabilizer. We can get carbs by eating foods like, potatoes, whole grain rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and much more. When we consume these foods, they are extracted of "simple sugars", and then they are broken down. Once this occurs the carbohydrates are digested very quickly, although most simple sugars do not have enough vitamins and minerals that are needed for a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates that should not be consumed are things like, table sugar, white pasta or dough, maple syrup, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and much more. Although there is a solution. The solution is simply, complex carbs! These take longer to digest, and packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. For instance, veggies, whole grain/whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta. These carbohydrates are overwhelmingly healthy to consume, and increase more energy than any other food. When carbs are consumed, they release an amount of serotonin into the brain. This becomes a natural stress reliever, and leaves a feeling of satisfaction. Although too much can end up causing the body to react with, mood swings, depression, and the addiction of eating. But as long as the carbs are whole wheat/whole grain, your all set. If someone was addicted to carbohydrates, the best way to stop would be to take steps toward eating more complex carbs. Also eating much more fruits, veggies, and whole wheat pastas. If this condition persists, then the affects can lead to obesity, diabetes, and even death. Not only can the consumption of complex carbohydrates improve you health, it can also influence those around you to try healthier food options. Saving one person at a time!

Sources:
visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=61.
web.12 may 2011

Top Supplements that Actually Work

2011-08-08T15:51:00.002-04:00

Supplements that Actually Work

Fish Oil-

Heart Health: The number one reason why most people start taking fish oil is to manage you cholesterol levels. Fish oil can improve both good and bad cholesterol levels. Also the Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can help lower triglycerides by 25%, and increase good cholesterol in diabetics. Irregular heart beats are major factors of heart related deaths! So taking fish oil is the best thing you can do to lower your risk. People with poor blood circulation usually have thicker blood cells, which also can leads to heart problems. So improving circulation is key!
Fish Oil can help depression, and mood changes.
It can improve concentration, and learning. Studies show that infants were 24% healthier when pregnant mothers took fish oil.
It may seem weird taking fish oil to loose weight. But there are three factors that fish oil is associated with weight loss. Taking fish oil can help with obesity, metabolic rate, and controlled weight. Omega 3s that are in fish oil help the body secrete leptin, which helps regulate your metabolism. Also omega 3 fish oil combined with moderate aerobic exercise can boost weight loss.

Multivitamin-

Help daily stress
Helps prevent vitamin deficiencies
Provides energy
Brain function
Prevents cardiovascular disease
Prevents cancer!
Great nutrients for pregnant mothers
Make sure your vitamins contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, folic acid, and recommended dose of iron, zinc, and copper.

Calcium-

Strengthening bones
Prevents obesity along with a healthy diet
Protects heart muscles by maintaining correct pressure in arteries
Prevents colon cancer
Helps moods swings, dizziness, hypertension, and much more
Prevents kidney stones
Takes good care of blood pressure

Vitamin D-
Top 5 Healthy Benefits by newsmax:

It helps the intestine absorb nutrients, including calcium and phosphorus. This ensures strong bones and a strong immune system.

Vitamin D prevents osteomalacia and rickets. Osteomalacia, which causes weakness of the muscular system and brittle bones, is most prevalent among adults with vitamin D deficiency. Rickets is a skeletal deformity mostly seen in children with vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D provides calcium balance in the body that prevents osteoporosis or arthritis.

Vitamin D regulates blood pressure, reduces stress and tension, relieves body aches and pains by reducing muscle spasms, reduces respiratory infections, helps in differentiation of the cells, aids in insulin secretion, helps fight depression, improves overall skin health by reducing wrinkles, makes skin soft, strong, and smooth, and improves cardiovascular strength by providing a protective lining for the blood vessels.

Vitamin D is recommended in the treatment of several diseases. It may prevent preaclamsia by improving kidney function, cancer by controlling abnormal multiplication of cancer cells, diabetes mellitus by controlling insulin production, hyperparathyroidism by reducing parathyroid numbers, osteomalacia by improving bone and muscle strength, hypophosphatemia by controlling the phosphates in the body, hypocalcaemia by preventing abnormal deposition of calcium, and renal osteodystrophy by regulating calcium content and fibromyalgia.

The benefits of vitamin D can be obtained by increasing exposure to sunlight and including vitamin D rich foods into your diet like fish, cod liver oil, milk, and eggs. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also good sources of vitamin D.

Although vitamin D supplements are not as effective as synthesizing vitamin D naturally by the body, they are still effective in treating several medical conditions. Vitamin D fortified food products and fortified milk can also provide this essential nutrient to our body.

Whey Protein Powder-

Physical Performance- It contains all of the essential amino acids needed for an efficient healthy diet, and athletic performance
Cardiovascular Health- gives people a chance to be a part of a nutritious diet
Cancer- Studies show in some cases the whey protein can reduce some cancer tumors
Weight management- It takes a lot more energy to digest protein, which causes more calories to be burned after a protein meal. Also helps stabilize blood glucose levels by slowing its absorption into the bloodstream. This ends up reducing hunger when the insulin levels become much lower. This makes it much easier to burn fat.
Diebetes- Helps control glucose levels. It is also a very easily manageable food.

Sources

Flachs P, Rossmeisl M, Bryhn M, Kopecky J. Cellular and molecular effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on adipose tissue biology and metabolism. Clin Sci (Lond). 2009 Jan;116(1):1-16.

Hanbauer I, Rivero-Covelo I, Maloku E, Baca A, Hu Q, Hibbeln JR, Davis JM. The Decrease of n-3 Fatty Acid Energy Percentage in an Equicaloric Diet Fed to B6C3Fe Mice for Three Generations Elicits Obesity. Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol. 2009;2009:867041. Epub 2009 Sep 16.

Harris WS. N-3 fatty acids and serum lipoproteins: human studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 May;65(5 Suppl):1645S-1654S.
Hill A, Buckley J, Murphy K, Howe P. NUTRITIONAL STATUS, DIETARY INTAKE, AND BODY COMPOSITION: Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 2007; 85: 1267 – 1274.

Mori TA, Bao DQ, Burke V, Puddey IB, Watts GF, Beilin LJ. Dietary fish as a major component of a weight-loss diet: effect on serum lipids, glucose, and insulin metabolism in overweight hypertensive subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Nov;70(5):817-25.
Perez-Matute P, Marti A, Martinez JA, Fernandez-Otero MP, Stan- hope KL, Havel PJ & Moreno-Aliaga MJ (2005) Eicosapentaenoic fatty acid (EPA) increases leptin secretion from primary cultured rat adipocytes: role of glucose metabolism. Am J Physiol 288, R1682 – R1688.
Ruth MR, Proctor SD, Field CJ. Feeding long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to obese leptin receptor-deficient JCR:LA- cp rats modifies immune function and lipid-raft fatty acid composition. Br J Nutr. 2009 May;101(9):1341-50. Epub 2008 Dec 15.
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Appetite Suppressing Foods

2011-08-07T10:13:00.004-04:00

Top Appetite Suppressing Foods

Healthy Substitutions

2011-08-06T16:48:00.003-04:00

Easy, Healthy Food Substitutions

I wanted to share 24 of my favorite substitutions from Health Magazine.

1. Always substitute whole wheat bread for regular sourdough, ciabatta, white. Or anything that is not whole wheat or whole grain

2. Always use low fat or fat free milk instead of full fat milk

3. Try to use low fat cheeses instead of full fat, regular cheese

4. Baked potato or tortilla chips instead of regular, fried!

5. Whole wheat, whole grain cereal with at least 3g fiber per serving instead of …No cocoa puffs or lucky charms

6. Carrot sticks or a salad instead of fries

7. Laughing Cow Cheese instead of cream cheese!

8. Veggie burgers or turkey burgers instead of regular full fat, beef burgers

9. Refried vegetarian, low fat black beans instead of regular refried beans

10. Fat free sour cream instead of regular

11. Ketchup & mustard instead of mayo, dressings, oil, vinegar.

12. Hummus as a spread in sandwiches instead of cream cheese, mayo, mixed creamy spreads, etc.

13. Honey, brown sugar instead of refined white sugar (or if you’re trying to cut calories – Splenda instead of Equal or any sweetner with Aspartame)

14. Diet soda or sparkling flavored water instead of regular sugary soda

15. Fat free salad dressings or a tiny bit (1-2 tsp) of olive oil/vinegar/salt/pepper instead of regular creamy salad dressing

16. Broth based soups (tomato, vegetable stock, etc.) instead of cream based soups

17. Red wine instead of hard alcohol/mixed drinks (1 glass of red has ~100 calories compared to 300-500 in mixed drinks!)

18. White meat (chicken, turkey, fish) instead of red meat (beef, lamb, pork)

19. Whole wheat couscous instead of regular, or brown rice instead of white rice

20. Regular Oatmeal instead of pre-sweetened,sugary oatmeal or cream of wheat (you can make your regular oatmeal flavorful on your own with dried fruits, nuts, brown sugar, honey, fresh fruits!)

21. Use soy milk or yogurt in smoothies instead of frozen yogurt or ice cream

22. Fage non fat Greek yogurt instead of sweetened yoplait (1 container of sweetned Yoplait can have up to 200 calories, 1 container of Fage sweetened with splenda will have only 90-100 calories and TONS more protein!)

23. Baked sweet potatoes, yams instead of regular potatoes

24. Olive or canola oil instead of other cooking oils (and I only use a very tiny amount! no more than 1 Tbsp in most recipes)

Healthy Workday Snacks

2011-08-05T10:58:00.005-04:00

Having to spend your day in front of a desk or teacher should not keep you from enjoying some snacks. These snack will help you focus, stay healthy and drop any unwanted fat. Here are a few that i have found to be very filling and satisfying.

Walnuts

Grab handful of walnuts with your favorite fruit, or a bowl of oatmeal for a boost of fiber can be a great morning snack that will help you feel full longer.

Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

Apples

Apples have tons of pectin, this helps suppress your appetite.

Eat your apple with a mid-day snack. Apples will control your blood sugar, and minimizes the amount of sugar that is digested in your meal. Have it with a tablespoon of almond, cashew, or peanut butter for extra protein.

Greek Yogurt

Non fat Greek yogurt has two times the amount of protein of regular yogurt. It contains healthy bacteria, or probiotics, keeping your digestive tract healthy.

Take one half to one cup of yogurt with a small handful of granola for a great mid-day snack.

Apricots

For a great waking up snack, cut up 6 small dried apricots, cranberries and a small handful of granola.

Energy Bars

For another great mid meal snack, wake up with a "Clif Bar". There are satisfying flavors from apricot, chocolate fudge, peanut toffee buzz, mint chocolate, to banana nut bread.

Slow Roasted Lemon Chicken

2011-08-05T10:24:00.002-04:00

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

2 cups carrots

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Chop 1 onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic
Place onion and garlic in the bottom of a 4-quart Crock-Pot.
Top with 2 cups of sliced carrots.
Place 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts over the carrots.
Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the Crock-Pot.
Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or until chicken is tender).

Doze off and sleep well, while keeping your metabolism burning.

2011-08-04T22:32:00.003-04:00

Ingredients
1 cup tart cherry juice
1/2 banana
1/2 cup soy milk or 4-6 oz soy yogurt (if using soy yogurt, add an additional 1/2 cup fat-free milk)
5 ice cubes
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
by dr. oz
Directions
Combine the cherry juice, banana, milk or yogurt with fat-free milk, ice and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Soy milk is high in tryptophan, this is an amino acid that helps you sleep.

A day in the life of...

2011-08-04T22:13:00.001-04:00

Waking up at 9am is definitely one upside of summer. Although getting up to have breakfast around 6 or 7am is much more realistic for giving yourself a fair amount of time to wake up before dealing with daily chores, and or workouts. Since I woke up at nine, I made sure to take my vitamin, brush my teeth, go downstairs and say good morning to the fam, and get some breakfast. Like every other morning, I had a serving or Berry Crumble Kashi cereal with some skim milk. Even though it does not seem to exciting, it's low in fat, high in potassium, and has as much fiber as a serving of blueberries. Any of the Kashi cereals are perfect for a healthy diet. After watching some news, I helped clean the house, even though most of the rooms we have are not even used. After watching the neighbors kids for two hours (3 and one half hours after breakfast), I had a low sodium turkey breast sandwich on Arnold Whole Wheat Bread with hummus lightly added to the bread. I also had a glass of water and an apple. After going for a weekly food shopping trip, I had my Clif bar 3 hrs after lunch. Around 5:30 I did a hill workout, running up my 400meter hill atleast eight times before going in and getting a huge drink of water. Three hours after my bar, I had left over slow roasted chicken with carrots, and a banana. Around 9pm, I did my weekly 500 crunches, with 3 sets 3x of any other ab exercise i wanted to do. And at 10 (3hrs later), I had one cup of nonfat yogurt, granola mix and 3/4 cup of grapes. This is just a sample of my day, soon I will post all my recipes and workouts so you can start your goals.