Crab and Artichoke Dim Sum

Crab and artichoke have two things in common – they both contain high levels of chromium, which is good for diabetics as it helps to stabilize blood sugars. Also, they both help to lower cholesterol, which is a very good thing.

This dish is almost as fun to make as it is to eat and is great for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/8 tsp dried whole thyme
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 14 oz can artichoke hearts (drained & chopped)
• 6 oz can crabmeat, drained well
• 32 won ton wraps (3” X 3”)
• 6 tbsp light parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp dried chives

Preparation

1. Combine flour, thyme, pepper and eggs in a small bowl. Add roasted red pepper, chopped artichokes and crabmeat.
2. Spray 32 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray and press one won ton wrap gently into each muffin tin, allowing the edges to extend over the top.
3. Spoon crab/artichoke mixture evenly into muffin cups, sprinkle with cheese and chives.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F until mixture is set and edges of won tons are lightly browned.

Makes 32

You can serve these dim sum with a chili and roasted red pepper dip. Combine one chili pepper, with one or two roasted red peppers, the juice of one lemon, chives, thyme, salt and pepper into a blend and mix until desired thickness.

Nutritional Information per Won Ton

• Calories: 85
• Protein: 5 g (20 cal)
• Carbs: 5 g (20 cal)
• Fat: 5 g (45 cal)

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Upward Facing Dog

I see a lot of grimaces and worried looks whenever I mention this pose and this is because a lot of people experience back pain when they try this move. This is mainly due to incorrect alignment.

Upward Facing Dog or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (अधोमुखश्वानासन) is a great pose for stretching out the chest, neck and upper back. It also works the muscles along the spine, the triceps and glutes. I like to use this pose in my warm-up and as a counter pose to plank to work my back and entire core when I’m doing ab work.

Lying face down on the floor, bring your palms to your waist and flatten them on the floor. Breathing in, push yourself up as if you’re doing a push-up. Make sure your shoulders sit on top of your wrists and you’re not too far back or forward, as this will cause strain on the lower back. As you push yourself up, try to get the tops of your thighs off the ground too.

Express this pose through your chest, not the lower back and make sure your thighs don’t roll out to the side. Let your arms do most of the work, which means you need to relax your glutes. Make sure your shoulders are back and not up around your ears and your breath is even and controlled.You can modify this pose with a rolled-up towel under your hips to get the elevation. If you need to take a break, bend the elbows, lower the hips and transition into Cobra Pose. You can easily move into Locust Pose from this position too, which will also strengthen your back.

Like most Yoga poses, Upward Facing Dog has many benefits:

• Calms the mind
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Rejuvenates tired legs
• Improves digestion and stimulates the abdominal organs
• Relieves menopausal symptoms
• Stimulates the lungs and thyroid
• Helps with fatigue and insomnia
• Relieves backache (particularly through the thoracic area) and headache
• Good therapy for asthma, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and sinusitis

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Plyometrics for Leg Definition and Increased Endurance

Sometimes you need to take a break from the same-old routine of lifting weights to stimulate your muscles and avoid plateau-ing.

Adding some plyometric exercises to the mix about twice a week will shake things up and give your legs a killer workout with massive pumps, while increasing your strength, definition and cardiovascular endurance.

Plyometric Leg Circuit

10 Pop Squats – placing your hands behind your head and toes turned out slightly, assume the squat position, then jump up as high as you can, gently landing back into a squat position, and the immediately pop up again. Do not pause between reps.

20 Switch Splits – these are lunges with a jump. In the lunge position, place your hands behind your head and propel yourself up to switch legs, bringing the back knee almost to the ground. Repeat by switching legs. It’s important to make the switch between legs as fluid as possible and to keep your landing soft and controlled.

20 Speed Squats – placing your hands behind your head, squat down until the upper thighs are parallel to the floor, then propel yourself up to start again.

20 Alternating Lunges – with feet together, place your hands behind your head and take a full step out in front of you and bend the knee, while the back knees brushes the ground. Perform 10 on each leg.

Perform this circuit three times with a 60-second break in between sets and a 3-minute break between circuits. You won’t want to do this routine anymore than twice a week.

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Music to Sweat By

One of my favorite bands right now out of the UK is Kasabian. This particular song gets me going every time.

I love to walk, or rather, strut to this song and often listen to it on my way from the subway to work. It’s a bit of a long walk, but I find the beat so inspiring that it always puts me in a good mood and I enter the office with a bit of a swagger, ready to face the day.

Enjoy!

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Training Advice for Golfers

Golfers don’t often conjure up the ideal image of physique and fitness. Even Tiger Woods is developing a bit of a paunch, despite his appeal with the ladies.

Golf is a social game and a great deal of time is spent on the 19th hole, chasing down high-calorie, greasy plates of BBQ chicken wings with pitchers of beer. Yes, I’m being stereotypical and perhaps that’s not fair, but when you consider how many golfers show up at their doctor’s or chiropractor’s office at the beginning of the season, you have to wonder what kind of training program these golfers follow.

With a seasonal sport like golf, it’s easy to get carried away and tear a rotator cuff the first day on the driving range. Without proper strength training, stretching and physiological maintenance, injuries will occur and could put you out for the entire season.

Torn rotator cuffs, lower back, elbow and knee pain are all common injuries among golfers. So, what do you do to improve your level of fitness and how do you avoid these injuries from happening?

• Always stretch for about half an hour before you play a round of golf or hit the driving range.
• Leave the beer out of the golf bag and replace it with a whey protein isolate shake.
• More importantly, forget about the golf cart – walk the course! Here’s where you’ll burn loads of calories – 3,000, in fact! That’s a lot of chicken wings! Well, maybe one or two!
• Carrying your golf bag will increase your caloric expenditure by 15-20%.
• When you’re WALKING the course, use a push cart over a pull cart as it is easier on your shoulders and will work out opposing muscle groups, saving those shoulders for your all-important golf swing.

Unless you’re playing golf four or more times a week, this sport is not going to make you fit. So, either increase the number of games you play or put the time in the gym to improve your strength and endurance. This is especially important during the winter months.

You’ll want to incorporate exercises to build strength and mobility through your upper and lower back – so, core strength exercises are key. Also, you can use a medicine ball to work on your twisting motion, strengthening your lower back and improving your swing at the same time. Cable exercises are excellent for upper body and you can mimic the same range of motion of your golf swing with this piece of equipment.

Make sure you work on cardio as well to improve your endurance, so you have the stamina to WALK the whole 18 holes. For the legs, lunges and balancing exercises on a BOSU ball will serve you well. Finally, don’t forget to stretch. This is key to avoiding injuries and to increase your flexibility, which will improve your golf swing and prevent your lower back from giving out for all those times you’re bending down to pick up the ball or addressing the hole.

Always remember that the fitter and stronger you get, the more this will affect your swing. With stronger more powerful arms and upper body, you will have more torque for your swing and won’t have to power down quite so hard on the ball. So, bear this in mind when the new buff you goes to the driving range. Be prepared to hit way past the 250 yard mark!

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Quick-and-Easy Protein Bars

With so many people suffering from nut allergies, sometimes the only alternative is to bake your own protein bars.

You can substitute the peanut butter for a mashed banana or other fruit puree.

Ingredients

• ½ cup oatmeal
• 1 scoop whey protein isolate powder (chocolate flavor)
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp Raisin Bran cereal
• 2 egg whites

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one 1″ deep cookie sheet with Pam. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Cut into single serving squares or bars. Cool and serve. You can add additional nuts and dried fruit like cranberries or cherries, depending on your preference.

Nutritional Facts per Serving

Calories: 469 cal
Protein: 41 g (164 cal)
Fat: 13 g (117 cal)
Carbs: 47 g (188 cal)

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Woody Harrelson’s Penalty Kick for Soccer Aid Unicef

VIDEO: Soccer fever is at an all-time high with the World Cup set to kick off in just two days.

Last weekend highlighted an all-star league playing against each other to 65,000 fans at Man United’s home stadium, the Old Trafford, to raise money for Unicef.

The game was a tie in the end until 20 minutes into the penalty kick-off when Woody Harrelson scored the winning goal to claim the trophy for his team The Rest of the World.

Soccer Aid 2010 raised £2.5 million for Unicef, which isn’t too shabby.

Check it out:

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Forward Fold Pose

If there’s one pose that really stretches out my hamstrings and lower back, it’s forward fold or Uttanasana (उत्तानासन), otherwise known as standing forward bend.

There are many ways to get into this pose, but the most traditional is to start off in Mountain Pose (Tadasana). With the hands at the heart in Namaste and feet together and heels slightly apart and weight balanced, raise the arms up, breathing in deeply. Fly out from the hips with a flat back, breathing out, let your weight drop forward until you fold down towards the floor. Make sure you tuck in your abs.

Once your legs start to relax, work on pushing your hips up towards the ceiling, lengthening and moving your body closer towards your thighs. Relax the neck and head and engage the core the whole time. It is important to keep the weight forward and the hips in line with the ankles. If you can reach the floor, place your hands either in front of the feet or to the sides. You can also wrap your arms around you legs, but be careful not to compromise the position. If you have difficulty reaching the floor, fold you arms in front of you and let them dangle loosely like a plumb line. You could also use blocks to support your hands.

This pose can be used as a transition or as an asana in its own right. It stretches out the hamstrings, calves and hips, while strengthening the thighs and knees. Hold the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Come out of the pose the same way you came into it, with a flat back and arms flying out to the side for a deep breath in. I like to finish off with a chest lift and then back to Namaste.

Uttanasana has many health benefits:

• Calms the mind
• Reduces stress and depression, fatigue and anxiety
• Improves digestion
• Stimulates the liver and kidneys and improves digestion
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headache and insomnia
• Aids in menopausal symptoms
• Good therapy for high blood pressure, asthma, infertility, osteoporosis, and sinusitis

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Motivational Techniques to Inspire You

Motivation is something we all need to get us inspired to put out our best performance. This applies to life as much as it does to fitness.

During the Olympics, I noticed that a lot of the aerial skiers would go through a little routine that involved a serious of movements something like that of a baseball pitcher. It looks like they’re adjusting their shirt or scratching their nose, but the series of movements is always the same and always in the same sequence. I later learned that this is part of their training and prep before they slide down the hill for the big aerials.

Olympians and elite athletes alike use these movements to trigger their brain to shut out all external noise and distractions, so they can focus on the event. It’s easy to get caught up in the crowd, the screaming, the cowbells, the excitement, but that can cause adrenaline levels to soar, which leads to mistakes.

While some Olympians use these triggers, others use a set of keywords to psych themselves up and get in the zone. This works much the same way as a mantra or affirmation. Once you perform these enough times, the brain learns what to do next – FOCUS!

Olympians use another motivational technique where they visualize their next move. For an athlete like a skeleton racer, this means visualizing the run down the track, every bend, twist and turn, which prepares the body and relaxes the mind so they are able to focus better.

I do the same thing when I’m working out. I play out the movement in my mind before I perform it, reminding myself of my weak areas and where I need to concentrate. It’s amazing how much better the results are.

I use other motivational techniques, which are quite simple and effective. I use the number of reps and sets to motivate me. Let’s say I’m about to perform a set of 12 reps. As I’m counting the reps down in my head, I break it down into increments, so when I reach rep 4, I tell myself – You’re ⅓ of the way there – only 8 more to go…and so on. Once I complete a set and stop for a drink of water, I tell myself – Only two more sets to go! It’s amazing how well this works and somehow, it adds to my sense of accomplishment at the end of the routine.

It’s important to motivate yourself, otherwise you’re just going through the motions and you won’t get the most out of your workout. On days when I’m struggling or have had a really hectic day at work and all I want to do is couch potato in front of the TV, I tell myself to just start and see how I feel. I don’t believe in pushing yourself when you’re tired, because that’s when injuries happen and it’s more important to listen to your body. But we all get lazy and fool ourselves into thinking we don’t have the energy. Start warming up and if you just don’t feel it, don’t push it, but I think you’ll surprise yourselves, if you just give it a go.

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM

Music to Sweat By

When I was teaching fitness full time in the late 80s early 90s, one of my favorite cool down songs was the quintessential Moments in Love by Art of Noise.

Today, it’s still my favorite cool down music. Some things never change.

Divine:

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM