Like many folks I know, I’m kicking off 2010 with a cold so I decided to use this opportunity to concoct a healthy, cold-fighting meal.

Of course, the best cold medicine is Mom’s chicken soup, but my Mom lives 1000 miles away and being that I’m on a sodium restricted diet, chicken soup sans salt tastes kind of blah.

Yesterday I decided to go the Chinese Hot Pot route and include lots of health promoting ingredients!

Ginger – Ginger is one of those super-foods that provide a multitude of benefits across a variety of ailments from upset stomach to arthritis. It also happens to be a natural decongestant as well as an antihistamine, making it the perfect remedy for colds!

Garlic - The sulfur compound allicin is responsible for garlic’s unique odor, and has been shown to be effective in fighting common infections like colds and flu.

Scallion - Scallions, like other members of the onion family, have several anti-inflammatory agents that render them helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms associated with respiratory congestion.

Cabbage - My cabbage of choice in this instance was baby bok choy. Cabbage is loaded with Vitamin C and as we all know, you can never have enough V-C when battling the sniffles!

Shitake Mushrooms – Shitake mushrooms contain lentinan, a compound that has been shown to fire up the immune system.

Chili Peppers - Nothing opens up the nasal passages like some good hot chili peppers. The capsaicin in chili’s act as a decongestant for upper respiratory symptoms.

Susan’s Cold-Fighting Soup

3 cups Imagine Organic Low Sodium, Free Range Chicken Broth
4 scallions, sliced
3 long slices of ginger (for flavoring the broth)
8 baby bok choy, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 shitake mushrooms, halved
8 large shrimp, cleaned and tail removed
Black pepper, to taste
Red chili pepper flakes, to taste

Combine first 6 ingredients and let simmer on stove for 15 – 20 minutes. The ginger and garlic will help flavor the broth. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink, approximately 5 minutes.

Dipping Sauce

1 Tbsp House Of Tsang Less Sodium Soy Sauce (the lowest sodium soy sauce I’ve found)
1/4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ground chili paste

Serves 2

I use chopsticks to grab the shrimp and mushrooms out of the broth to dip in the spicy sauce, and eat the rest with a spoon. I kept the broth simmering on the stove top and revisited it throughout the afternoon. It did a pretty good job keeping my congestion under control and to make the dish more filling, I mixed in a little brown rice later in the afternoon.

Nutritional information, per serving (not including the brown rice): 163 calories; 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat); 24 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 340 mg sodium

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

Yet another friend of mine fell victim to the flu this week.

The good news is that according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) during the week of November 22-28, 2009, influenza activity continued to decrease in the U.S.

Hopefully we’ll see an end to this years flu season sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, go to the store, buy yourself a bag of apples and start munching! Yes,and apple a day may actually keep the doctor away as apples are a great source of quercetin, a flavanoid that may help to protect the body against influenza. It is chemically related to resveratrol, a compound that has also been shown to have some antiviral benefits in laboratory studies.

Other benefits of quercetin include reducing high blood pressure, minimizing the risk of heart disease and potentially minimizing the risk of developing some forms of cancer.

In addition to apples, good sources of quercetin include onions, raspberries and green and black tea.

Train hard; stay strong; stay healthy!

Peace.

Susan

This past September subway billboards was the media of choice in a highly aggressive campaign warning against the danger of sugary drinks; a major factor in our current obesity epidemic.

This time around the New York City Health Department is utilizing YouTube for its anti-obesity campaign.

Love them or hate them, these campaigns definitely stir up emotion as can be seen from the hundreds of comments rolling in across the web and social media. Comments range from “It got me…I’ll? never drink soda again. ” to “Nothing like spending millions of tax dollars on this silliness.”

[Sources: YouTube and NY Daily News.com, respectively]

Some folks believe that shock-advertising grabs your attention and makes you think, while others believe it can be downright insulting.

What’s your opinion?

Train hard; stay strong.

Susan

I have always really struggled to keep up with my fitness goals when it comes to the month of December. Not only is there all of the holiday hoopla going on, but my birthday also falls in December so the month feels like one long party.

We all know that our schedules are going to be hectic this time of year. We’re shopping, cooking, visiting with family and friends and joining in the holiday cheer.

With all of those other activities it’s easy to find yourself missing a workout or two (or three, or four) along the way. Guess what? The more workouts you miss, the more pounds you are likely to pack on.

Staying on top of your training routine will take some planning and serious time management skills.

What works for me is keeping a printed calendar of all of my workouts for the month. I actually plan the time of day I will be working out and jot that on the calendar so that I can make certain not to schedule a conflicting event.

It’s important to be detailed. ‘Winging’ it is when we get ourselves in to trouble – especially this month when there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.

What are your tips for staying on track with your fitness goals during the holidays?

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

Happy December everyone!

Did you see those lines at the mall this past weekend? Crazy. I honestly have never been a post-Thanksgiving weekend shopper and for the past few years I’ve done about 90% of my holiday shopping online. Over the next couple of weeks most of my shopping will take place over my morning cup of coffee or after 11 pm and my holiday gifts will arrive (many beautifully gift-wrapped) at my doorstep.

On that note, I thought I would share some of my best buy/low cost gifts I’m handing out this holiday season to my fitness friends. My goal – finding real value for not alot of money!

In no particular order …

The Gymboss Interval Timer. No kidding, I think this gadget is just an incredible value for the money. Cost – $19.95 + shipping (shipping is under $3 per order). You can check out the full review I wrote on the Gymboss HERE.

Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred. I was kind of surprised to see this on my list, but here it is! I’ve given out a bunch of the 30-Day Shred DVDs over the past year to family and friends. At $9.49 the price can’t be beat to have Jillian Michaels whip you in to shape. And yes, I personally go back to this particular workout several times over the course of the year.

A Turbulence Training Workout. I say it time and time again. To gain the most benefit from a workout you have to have a plan. The individual Turbulence Training workouts are a great way to get family and friends on the right path come January 1, and at $9.95 apiece (no shipping fee since it’s a digital download!), you can get them workouts for both January and February and still be under $20.

A Foam Roller. Myofascial release not only helps to limit injury but it has an incredibly positive impact on recovering from workouts. Any fitness buff from cycling enthusiasts to powerlifters can benefit from the use of a foam roller and the $19.95 price tag is a heck of alot cheaper than a visit to a massage therapist!

A Jump Rope. There’s a reason why jumping rope is a staple in every boxer’s conditioning program – it works! You can find a good jump rope for well under $10 (the Valeo Deluxe Speed Rope I’m linking to costs $6.30) and there is no better conditioning tool for the money. Another bonus, you can pack it up and take it with you anywhere you go.

Items such as the Jump Rope, Foam Roller and the 30 Day Shred DVD are all available from Amazon.com and eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping. If you have at least $25 of eligible items in your shopping cart when checking out, shipping is free so no harm, no foul in not fighting the crowds at the mall

What did I miss? There’s still plenty of shopping days to go and cyber-space is open 24/7! What fitness gifts will you be buying for family and friends this holiday season?

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

As we enter in to the holiday season you will likely find yourself over-committed with office functions, family dinners, holiday shopping, and the typical end of year revelry.

It’s difficult enough to find time to prepare healthy meals and get to the gym the other 11 months out of the year. Between Thanksgiving and New Years it seems nearly impossible.

Now more than ever, you need to prioritize. First and foremost, be realistic in regards to your fat loss efforts. Rather than focusing on weight loss, for the next several weeks focus on maintaining your current weight. Keep in mind that maintaining your weight still requires planning, so the next issue to address is how you should best utilize your limited time.

As your Mother may have told you, you are what you eat.

Your first priority should be your diet. A good nutrition program will enable you to

• improve your body composition
• improve your health
• improve your stamina

Fact is you cannot out train a bad diet. However, you can lose/maintain weight without exercise. If you have limited time on your hands my suggestion is to focus that time on meal planning and preparation.

Keep up with your food journaling and take adequate time to prepare healthy meals. The effort it takes to eat healthy, nutritious meals now is much less than the effort it will take to burn off a Whopper and fries later on.

If time allows, you certainly want to continue with your workouts. If those workouts will be limited use this time to focus on strength training. Why? Because over the course of any given day the bulk of the calories we burn is based on our Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). The more muscle mass we have, the higher our RMR.

If twice per week you can squeeze in an extra 20 minutes at the gym, focus on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

HIIT is done by alternating brief periods or high intensity work (85% or more) with a brief recovery period. HIIT is an example of an anaerobic exercise, which means that an inadequate amount of oxygen is being delivered to working muscles during the course of the exercise.

When compared to steady-state cardio, HIIT results in significantly more calories burned in a much condensed period of exercise.

To summarize, if you find yourself with limited time over the remainder of this year and are concerned about packing on pounds, your order of priority should be:

1. A focused nutrition plan
2. Strength training
3. High Intensity Interval Training

Catapult Fitness Blog will be taking the week off in celebration of Thanksgiving. I am heading down to Florida and looking forward to cooking a traditional (healthy) Thanksgiving meal for family and friends.

Wishing those celebrating a very happy holiday!

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

I was chatting with someone yesterday and they mentioned to me that they do 100 sit-ups every night before they go to bed.

I’m certain they were expecting me to respond with a resounding WOW, but the best I could do was muster a shrug and ask them ‘why’?

There are several inherent problems with sit-ups and crunches:

1. The movement actually strains the back at it’s weakest point and can cause disk damage
2. The movement is limited to targeting the rectus abdominus muscles which can ultimately lead to a distended stomach appearance
3. The movement is contrary to how we typically use our abdominal muscles and is not at all functional in nature

If you’re going to take the time to work your core, work it in a way that is going to benefit your overall health and give your mid-section the overall toned look you’re striving for.

To achieve this, work your core muscles – back extenders, rectus abdominus, transversus abdominus, obliques, hip flexors – as a group.

Some of my favorite core exercises include:

The Plank – I have found the plank to be one of the most effective core exercises around. You can modify this exercise to make it more difficult by using a stability ball, but this is definitely a no-equipment-required exercise. Remember not to let your hips or back sag!

The Overhead Squat – I bet you were not expecting this one! The overhead squat engages all of your core muscles as once that bar is over your head, it seems to have a mind of it’s own. Caution – this exercise should only be used by those of you who are more ‘advanced’ lifters with good squatting form.

Turkish Get-Up – Another over-head exercise that engages all of your core muscles and requires precision balancing from start to finish. I love this video and how it breaks the movement down in to several drills. Keep in mind that you do not need a Kettlebell to perform a Turkish Get-Up. A dumbbell works just fine!

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

I found this article on the Vital Choice Seafood site. If you’re not familiar with Vital Choice Seafood, check out the company’s offerings!

I became familiar with Vital Choice several years ago after reading one of Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s articles. I now get regular shipments from the company. The seafood is delicious, sustainable, and top quality. Do a little Google search and you can even find discount coupons that can be applied to your order.

But I digress … back to the article.

As if we need another reason to add more fish in to our diet (heart healthy, low in saturated fat), research now indicates that fish may actually make us happier (and who can’t stand to be a little bit happier these days?).

Fish and Olive Oil Linked To Better Mood
Study among older Greeks links fish and olive oil to being happier.
by Craig Weatherby

Two years ago, we reported the conclusions of an expert panel of the American Psychiatric Association, which concluded that omega-3s from fish are capable of reducing depression risks.

Now, Greek researchers have reported the results of two population studies … one that links fish to better mood, and one that does the same for olive oil.

Fish may fuel better mood

The first study involved people living in various Greek islands and in Cyprus (Bountziouka V et al. 2009).

They recruited 1,190 men and women aged over 65, and gathered data on the participants’ diets, lifestyles and personal characteristics.

The Greek team then administered a psychological test designed to detect depression, called the validated Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).

People who had the healthiest GDS scores were more educated and physically active, but they also reported higher fish consumption that their sadder peers.

Importantly, the study detected a “dose-response” effect that strengthens the association between eating more fish and being less prone to depression.

After adjusting for various factors associated with depression, their analysis showed that each extra portion of fish a participant reported eating per week further lowered their chances of having a GDS score above the “clinical threshold” that indicates depression.

As the Greek team concluded, “These findings may assist public health policy makers in better preventing emotional disorders among the elderly by promoting healthier eating habits.” (Bountziouka V et al. 2009).

Olive Oil may help mood … other vegetable oils may harm it

Several studies have linked the standard American diet’s imbalance between omega-6 (too many) and omega-3 fats (too few) to increased risk of depression.

Now a study from the Athens area of Greece suggests that diets high in olive oil may boost mood, while diets high in omega-6-rich vegetable oils may promote depression (Kyrozis A et al. 2009).

Researchers from the University of Athens Medical School recruited 610 healthy men and women aged 60 years or older and gathered data on the participants’ diets, lifestyles, and personal characteristics.

Six to 13 years later, their mood was evaluated using the same GDS test used in the fish study.

Their analysis showed that people who consumed more olive oil had healthier GDS scores, while people who consumed lots of cheap “seed oils” – that is corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed oils – had worse scores.

To be precise, the link was between monosaturated fats and mood. And olive oil – specifically extra virgin grade oil – was by far the main source of monosaturated fats in the diets of the participants who had the highest intakes.

As they wrote, “We conclude that … lower intake of [omega-6-rich] seed oils and higher intake of olive oil … predict a healther affective [mood] state.” (Kyrozis A et al. 2009)

We take their results as positive affirmation that extra virgin olive oil helps make people feel good!

Train hard; stay strong; eat more fish!

Peace.

Susan

I’ve been asked many times if I have one favorite exercise. My answer is NO, but if I had to pick my top 5 you can be certain that push-ups would be included!

Why should you include push-ups in your workout routine?

1. The require zero equipment and can be performed pretty much anywhere (even your cubicle at work!).
2. They’re extremely versatile in that a simple change in hand position can make the movement easier or more difficult.
3. Push-ups work your chest, shoulders, triceps and core.

If you need some ideas for getting started with push-ups, check out this video by Turbulence Training founder, Craig Ballantyne:

Remember to tuck your head when performing push-ups. You do not want to look forward as your neck should stay in-line with the rest of your spine.

You can check out Craig’s bodyweight exercise packages HERE.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan