Calcium: More than Bones

By  Karolina Starczak, RD, ACE-CPT

Unless you’re reading this while sporting a delicious milk moustache, chances are you are not getting the calcium your body needs.  The truth is about 78% of women aged 20 years or older are not meeting the recommended 1,000 milligrams of daily calcium and according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, by 2020, half of Americans over the age of 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass. Currently ten million people over the age of 50 suffer from osteoporosis in this country alone.

Shocking isn’t it? Especially since calcium is needed for much more than strong, healthy bones and teeth. It also plays a vital role in muscle contraction, hormones and enzyme secretion, and nervous system function. So how can you use the New Year to separate yourself from the crowd and up that calcium intake?  It’s a lot easier than spelling osteoporosis.

1. Be Dairy-ing
Consume three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products each and every day.  Just three servings of items like yogurt, milk and cheese can help meet your calcium needs. Evidence also shows that consuming low-fat and fat-free dairy products can help lower blood pressure as well as achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

2. Get Leaf Relief
Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and turnip greens are a great low calorie way to add calcium to your diet. In fact one cup of cooked spinach contains about the same amount of calcium as a six ounce cup of skim milk, but contains only 42 calories. When vegetables are metabolized they also make the body slightly more alkaline, reducing calcium loss.

3. Halt the Salt
If you want healthy bones then it’s time to make that salt shaker dash far away from your kitchen. The sodium in salt is well known for being the culprit in high blood pressure, but did you know it can also increase the amount of calcium the body excretes?  Aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day by choosing fresh, frozen or canned food items without added salts and try adding flavor to food with various spices instead of salt.

Cardio

Kick off your grocery store workout by parking in the spot farthest away from the store’s entrance.

Walk briskly from your car to the grocery store to get your heart pumping.

Grocery Glutes

While pushing your cart, take a slighter longer step than usual and squeeze the glutes before taking the next step. Alternate legs and keep a regular walking pace. Remember to focus on squeezing that glute muscle before switching legs.  Continue to walk this way throughout your shopping trip. (Click on image to watch a video demonstration of this move.)

Grab-a-Gallon

While pushing your cart, keep abs engaged and hold a gallon of milk, juice, or detergent down at your side. Slowly raise the gallon up and bring it toward your shoulder.  Slowly lower it back to starting position. Continue this exercise for at least 2 sets of 12 on each arm.

Change your arm position to turn this into a tricep press: Clutching the gallon, keep hand by your side and bend your elbow.  Keeping elbow bent extend the gallon straight back. Return to starting position. Keep this movement slow and controlled, focusing on using the tricep muscle to bring the gallon back and forth, not the momentum of the weight. Continue this exercise for 2 sets of 12 on each arm. (Click on image to watch a video demonstration of this move.)

Label Readers

Do this exercise whenever you stop to compare prices or read labels. Stand perpendicular to your cart facing the shelves with feet hip width apart and knees slightly bent. Engage your abs and push the cart away from you. Pull the cart back toward you using your arm and your oblique muscles (the abdominal muscles that run along the front and sides of your body). Your feet should not move. Do at least 12 on each side. (Click on image to watch a video demonstration of this move.)

Legs In Line

While standing in line at the deli counter lift one leg off the ground with toes pointed up and heel down.  Slowly move your foot in clockwise circles. Keep this movement slow and controlled, focusing on using your inner thigh to bring the leg around.  After 30 seconds, reverse direction and make counterclockwise circles, focusing on using your outer thigh muscle to move the leg around. (Click on image to watch a video demonstration of this move.)

Variation: To make this exercise more challenging let go of the cart.  Make sure to engage your abs to maintain your balance.

Checkout Stretch Out

Finish with this stretch. Keeping both hands on your cart rest the foot of one leg above the knee of the opposite leg.  Bend the standing leg and sit down into the stretch. Hold for at least a 3-count of “Squeeze-It-In” and switch legs.

Variation:  Engage your abs and let go of the cart and this stretch becomes a one legged-squat.  Hold each squat for a 3-count of “Squeeze-It-In.”  Complete one set of 12 on each leg. (Click on image to watch a video demonstration of this move.)

Cardio

Finish your mini workout by walking briskly while pushing your cart back to your car to unload the groceries.

(Click on image to see more examples of do-anywhere cardio.)

Want to take these moves with you to the market?

All of these moves are featured on our 100% recyclable Grocery Girls Tote.  We’ve even tucked a full color, perforated exercise description card inside!

Order yours today!

When you begin to “let life be your workout,” opportunities to make fitness fit – to Squeeze It In – simply seem to fall from the sky…literally! Consider each leaf littering your lawn a calorie burning, waist whittling gift from the heavens when you hit the yard armed with your trusty rake and our new Squeeze It In Fall Clean Up Workout:

Cardio

Raking itself can be a great cardio workout.  Pick up the pace and get your heart pumping with 10 minutes of moderate intensity raking.

Leaf Lunges (click for photos of exercise)

Hold rake to the left of your body, feet shoulder width apart and facing forward.  As you reach and extend the rake to the left, also extend your left leg into a lunge in the same direction.  As you rake in the leaves, place your weight on your right leg and draw your left leg up in front of your body.  Proceed immediately into your next lunge.  Keep your supporting leg slightly bent and your abs engaged throughout this exercise.  Repeat for a set of 12 lunges and switch legs.

Raise the Rake (click for photos of exercise)

Hold rake in front of chest with arms fully extended.  Keep core engaged and slowly bring the rake straight up overhead.  Just as slowly, lower rake down to starting position in front of chest.  Repeat for 2 sets of 12.

Cardio

Pick up the pace with another 10 minutes of moderate intensity raking.  For additional examples of do anywhere cardio click here.

Clean Up Kick Backs (click for photos of exercise)

Stand with rake in front of body.  While raking leaves in toward you, kick your right leg slowly behind you. This is a slow and controlled movement designed to tone your legs.  Keep the standing knee slightly bent and your core engaged throughout this movement.  Alternate legs as you continue to rake in your leaves.  Do at least 2 sets of 12 on each side.

Cardio

Kick it up a notch to turn this exercise into a cardio boost!  Instead of raising your legs slowly, quickly alternate legs as you briskly rake your yard clean. Continue for 5 to 10 minutes.

Turning Leaves Twist (click for photos of exercise)

Stand in front of your pile of leaves and place your leaf bag to one side of your body.  Squat down to grab some leaves.  As you come up slowly twist from your waist to drop the leaves in the bag. Hold for three count of squeeze-it-in before squatting down to grab more leaves. This exercise originates from the waist.  Keep hips facing forward.  Continue this for a set of 12 and then move your bag to the other side.

Side Stretch

Hold rake above head and slowly bend to one side.  Keep hips facing forward and bend from your waist allowing arms to follow.  This move originates from your waist. Keep your lower body still as you do these stretches.  Hold for 10 seconds and then come back to starting position with rake raised above your head.  Your back should be straight while performing this exercise. If you’re lower back tends to sway during this move, straighten your knees to help keep back straight.

Hamstring Stretch

Stand with legs hip width apart. Bring one leg out in front. Keeping heel on the ground raise your toes towards your body. Bend from the waist and place your hands on the front of your thigh. Lean into the hamstring stretch so you feel the stretch along the back of your thigh.

Quadricep Stretch

Stand with legs hip width apart. Bend one leg behind you and grab at ankle and bringing the heel toward your rear end. Hold the stretch for a few seconds. You should feel the stretch along the front of your thigh. Switch legs.

Master Strategy 4: Eat Aware

by Patricia Bannan, MS, RD

When you eat a meal while driving or working at your desk, you’re ingesting calories, but can you say you are enjoying it? Not really. Eating on the go may be your default, but that’s something you may choose to change—at least some of the time.

“Eat aware” has several meanings. First, make an effort to become more mindful when you eat—at least once a day. That means taking time to savor your food, even if it’s just a turkey sandwich on rye. We multi-task to get more done, but when you eat and never pay attention to your food, you’re more likely to feel unsatisfied after your meal, and more likely to eat again later searching for that satisfaction. Becoming mindful doesn’t mean you have to assume a lotus position or savor the inner essence of every raisin you consume. I’m just asking you to spend an extra few minutes focusing on your food, its taste, how it smells, and the texture. You’ll find you eat more slowly, enjoy your food more, and are satisfied with less. That’s a good thing.

If you want to become more mindful of what you’re eating, consider keeping a food journal. Research shows that simply writing down what you eat and when you eat it aids in weight loss efforts. It also makes you more likely to make healthy choices. Something about having to write down “3:30 p.m., inhaled 6 Oreos” helps keep you on the straight and narrow, nutrition-wise.

“Eat aware” also means being smarter about the food choices you make. Eat closer to the earth by choosing more whole-foods like fruit and vegetables and less food packaged in plastic (think chips, cookies, candy). Look for ways to support sustainable farms and buy locally-grown produce at the supermarket. You don’t have to make every vegetable organic, but the more attention you pay to your food and how it’s grown and treated, the healthier your diet will be in the long run.

Three ways to implement this strategy:

• Eat while sitting down (driving doesn’t count) and doing nothing else (no TV, email, telephone, or reading) once a day.
• Buy organic and locally-grown foods when you can.
• Read the label on food products you buy often; aim for whole foods containing simple ingredients that you understand.

Patricia Bannan, MS, RD is a nutrition expert and author of the newly released Eat Right When Time Is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes.

Oh, Patricia! We’re feeling slimmer already!

Master Strategy 8: Energize in 3-5

by Patricia Bannan, MS, RD

This strategy is not only about what you eat but when you eat. The typical busy person eats little throughout the day and then overeats in the evening, but starving all day and binging at night is not only hard on your psyche, it’s the most inefficient way to provide your body with the energy you need. Yet many of us follow this pattern of skimping throughout the day, only to overeat at night.

For optimal energy levels, you want to stay in “energy balance”—or close to it—throughout the day. That means providing your body with the amount of fuel it needs at regular intervals so you’re neither overeating nor under-eating. Understanding how your body’s blood sugar levels rise and fall explains why this is critical, whether you want to lose weight or simply have more energy and feel better throughout the day.

Normally if you eat something, your blood sugar, or glucose levels, will rise, level out, and then drop in about three hour units. If you don’t eat every three hours or so, blood sugar begins to drop even further. Your brain knows you’re stuck in a meeting and can’t eat, but your body doesn’t know that. It thinks you’re in danger of starving. The more time that elapses before you eat, the lower your blood sugar falls. Then, when you do eat, you’ll produce more insulin than normal because your cells are desperate for energy. Insulin works as the gatekeeper to help transport glucose into your cells, and the more insulin you make, the hungrier you feel—and the more likely you are to store extra calories as fat. That’s the double-whammy of skipping meals. Not only do you feel crabby or tired from hunger, you’re more likely to gain weight as a result.

When you stay close to energy balance, however, you keep your blood sugar levels relatively stable throughout the day, which means more consistent energy levels, less hunger, and a better mood. Instead of eating three meals a day, aim for three smaller meals and one or two snacks. Done right, snacking helps you maintain steady blood sugar levels and makes you less likely to overeat at your next meal.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you might think the fewer calories a snack has, the better. But while a handful of carrot sticks may take the edge of your hunger for a few minutes, they won’t keep you going for long. Snacks that include protein and fiber (e.g., nuts, whole-food bars, and fruit and cheese) will give you sustained energy for hours.

Three easy ways to incorporate this strategy:

• Carry your secret weapon and “safeguard your environment” so you can sneak a snack if you need to.
• If it’s been more than four hours, eat something healthy—even if you’re not hungry yet. You’ll keep your blood sugar from plummeting.
• Set a reminder on your phone or watch so you don’t go more than five hours without eating.

Patricia Bannan, MS, RD is a nutrition expert and author of the newly released Eat Right When Time Is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes. Patricia will be guest blogging on SqueezeItIn.com throughout the month of October.  For more information about Patricia, go to http://www.patriciabannan.com and follow her on Twitter @NutritionGoGo .

Master Strategy 6: AppeSize your meals

by Patricia Banna

Think of a typical day: You’re on the go from the moment you get up. You grabbed lunch on the run, but you can’t even remember what you ate. Was it a veggie sandwich? A sub? A burger? Nothing? Finally, you sit down to eat dinner and before you know it, you’ve stuffed yourself. In less than ten minutes you inhale more calories than you’ve eaten all day.

That’s where what I call an “AppeSizer” comes in. An AppeSizer is an appetite speed bump. And just as a cement speed bump slows your car, an edible speed bump slows your eating. An AppeSizer is something that’s low in calories and takes time to eat. A bowl of broth-based soup, an apple, a handful of sliced veggies and spicy salsa—all make excellent AppeSizers.

Your stomach takes about twenty minutes to signal your brain it’s had enough food. An AppeSizer starts that clock running and slackens your eating pace, helping you transition from the stresses and pressures of your day to enjoying your meal. In short, an AppeSizer curbs your appetite and lets you feel satisfied with less—without making an effort to control your consumption.

Here are three easy ways to AppeSize your next meal:

• Have a bowl of broth-based soup before a meal.
• Order a cup of hot herbal tea while you’re waiting for a meal; it will take time to drink and give you something to do instead of munching on bread or high-fat appetizers.
• Have a 100-calorie snack that includes protein before a big meal (e.g., 2-3 tablespoons hummus, 1 tablespoon nut butter, 1 cup nonfat yogurt, or 30 pistachios).

Patricia Bannan, MS, RD is a nutrition expert and author of the newly released Eat Right When Time Is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes.

Whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile, for business or for pleasure, we’ve got the moves to keep exercise on your itinerary.

Here’s wishing you safe – and fit – travels! Bon voyage!

Click on the exercises below to watch a video of each new travel move.

Master Strategy 3: Munch Every Morn

by Patricia Bannan, MS, RD

If you’re counting every calorie, you may think going without breakfast will help you lose weight and slim down. In fact, the opposite is true. Eating a healthy breakfast every morning will make you more likely to shed pounds and keep them off. Statistics from the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks the habits of people who lost more than 30 pounds and kept the weight off, reveal that 78 percent of successful “losers” eat breakfast every morning. A mere four percent never eat breakfast.

You think you’re saving calories, but when you skip breakfast, you’re more likely to eat impulsively and overeat later in the day, which is bad news for your waistline and your slim down strategy. Eating in the morning also helps you think more clearly. The reason is simple—your brain runs on glucose, or sugar. When you awaken, your blood sugar levels are low because you haven’t eaten for eight to twelve hours. Studies show that eating breakfast positively affects tasks that require retaining new information. Breakfast eaters also tend to be less depressed and less emotionally distressed than people who don’t eat breakfast. When your brain and body are properly fueled, you feel better emotionally and physically.

Eating breakfast also appears to help your immune system efficiently function. Forget the idea of a traditional breakfast and just get in the habit of munching every morn.

Three ways to implement this strategy:

• Carry a whole-food bar (e.g., SoyJoy, Larabar, KIND Fruit & Nut Bar) with you to eat at your desk or while you’re dropping the kids at school.
• Keep instant oatmeal packets at work for a quick, healthy breakfast.
• Forget “breakfast” foods if they don’t appeal to you. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy sandwich or beans and brown rice in the morning if that sounds good to you.

Patricia Bannan, MS, RD is a nutrition expert and author of the newly released Eat Right When Time Is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes. Patricia will be guest blogging on SqueezeItIn.com throughout the month of October.  For more information about Patricia, go to http://www.patriciabannan.com and follow her on Twitter @NutritionGoGo .

We are thrilled to announce that Squeeze It In has joined Southern Living Magazine

Click here to see our multimedia press release with all the details featuring a new video or simply scroll down to read the release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SQUEEZE IT IN™ NAMED FITNESS CONTRIBUTOR TO SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE

Founders Hein and Polmar to Appear in Regular Column to Show Southern Living’s 16 Million Readers How to “Let life be your workout!”

Washington, DC  – August 19, 2010 – The founders of Squeeze It In™ – the website and DVD that offer clever and effective exercises designed to fit into even your busiest day – announced they have joined Southern Living magazine as contributors. They will be part of the brand’s new editorial section, “Look Good, Feel Great!,” focused on health, beauty, fitness and fashion tips tailored to the busy Southern woman.

“We are thrilled to be a regular part of Southern Living’s new ‘Look Good, Feel Great!’ section,” said Squeeze It In co-founder Brigette Polmar, “We want to share our unique take on fitness with Southern Living’s readers and show millions you really can make fitness fit if you let life be your workout.”

“Our goal has always been to change the way people think about fitness and start seeing their to-do list as a list of opportunities to squeeze in fun and effective toning moves throughout their day,” said Squeeze It In co-founder and ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor Jenny Hein, “We can’t wait to connect with the readers of Southern Living and help them put their health and wellbeing back on their lists – one Squeeze It In move at a time.”

“Southern Living is teaming up with these DC moms to help women take small steps to health with simple exercise routines,” said Southern Living Associate Features Editor Erin Street, “Their hope — and ours — is that by doing these exercises women will feel just how great it is to move their bodies, and be inspired to add in more physical activity into their every day.”

Squeeze It In will make its debut in the pages of Southern Living in the September 2010 issue, available on newsstands this week.  Hein is featured demonstrating the Hot Squat – a signature Squeeze It In move that tones your legs while you dry your hair.  Upcoming issues will feature Squeeze It In moves made for housekeeping, grocery shopping, travel, and trips to the park.

For more information about Squeeze It In and the Squeeze It In Workout DVD, visit http://www.SqueezeItIn.com.

ABOUT SQUEEZEITIN AND MULTITASK PRODUCTIONS LLC

Multitask Productions LLC and SqueezeItIn.com were created by ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor Jenny Hein and broadcast journalist and author Brigette Polmar—two professionals and mothers dedicated to helping people live more fulfilling, active lifestyles. Located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Multitask Productions is a digital content producer of fitness and wellness solutions including the Squeeze It In™ Workout DVD.

ABOUT SOUTHERN LIVING
Southern Living is the nation’s fifth largest monthly consumer magazine, reaching more than 16 million readers each month.  Founded in 1966, Southern Living offers today’s busy Southern woman achievable ideas for cultivating her own Southern style. Each month in the magazine and on southernliving.com, readers find ideas for cooking, gardening, gracious entertaining, decorating, regional travel and locally made products.  Southern Living is published 12 times a year by a subsidiary of Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern Progress Corporation.

Squeeze It In Media Contact:  Brigette Polmar (202) 271-4813

Online: http://www.SqueezeItIn.com

On Facebook:  http://www.Facebook.com/SqueezeItIn

On Twitter: @SqueezeItIn

-000-