Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Get Rid of Heart Burn

I was watching The Doctors earlier today and they were talking about heart burn (acid reflux).  Many people have a problem with this - it's that burning feeling coming up your throat that you sometimes get after eating a meal (especially after an unhealthy high fat meal). 

When people get this they often reach for the antacids or other medication.  These medications are meant for occasional use only and some people are taking them on a regular basis to deal with their horrible eating habits (remind you of any commercials?  'Eat all the junk you want and then just pop an antacid to deal with the discomfort'.  If your food is causing you discomfort, don't eat it!).  Did you know that people taking too much of these medications have a higher incidence of anemia, osteoporosis and hip fractures?  What on earth is that medication doing to our insides??

So now you're probably asking 'well what am I supposed to do?  Just suffer?'.  One thing you can and should do is eat a healthier diet - keep saturated fats low and absolutely NO trans fats.  Develop a taste for healthy natural foods - not only will your heart burn go away, you'll have way more energy.

I know that we don't always eat what's best for us though.  So what do you do if you've had a not so healthy meal and you're suffering from heart burn?  Eat an apple.  That's right!  An apple!  Clears it right up.

A while back I heard about this from a guy on the Internet (I wish I could remember who because I'd love to give him credit - his dad suffered from horrible acid reflux and his quality of life was greatly diminished because of it.  Apples literally saved his life.).  I was curious if it really worked.  The next time my boyfriend had heart burn I told him to try eating an apple.  He tried it and it worked!!  We now always keep apples on hand.

How awesome is that?  So the next time you get a little heart burn go get an apple and get ready for sweet relief :)

Got any natural cures you'd like to share?  Comment below.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Losing Weight/Gaining Weight

Last week I sent out an e-mail to my subscribers letting them know why they may be having problems losing weight.  I got a huge response!  Most people responded to thank me for the helpful information, but a few wanted to know what to do if they had the opposite problem: trouble gaining weight.  That seems so foreign to me - I've always found it very, very easy to gain weight.  Anyway I looked into it and sent out another e-mail with information on how to gain weight and I thought I'd share it with you :)

If you like this article and would like to get regular information from me regarding all sorts of things health and fitness related (including healthy recipes and fun workouts) you can sign up in the box on the right ;)

Here's the last article I sent out:

Yesterday I sent out an e-mail regarding what may be stopping you from losing weight.  I got a huge response!  A few of those responses were actually on the flip side.  They wanted to know why they can’t gain weight.  To a lot of us that sounds like a dream come true – not a problem!  But people who have a hard time putting on weight (hardgainers) are just as frustrated and self conscious as those of us who are always struggling to lose weight.  There’s a ton of information out there on how to lose weight, now here’s a few tips on how to gain weight:
1.   Lack of Food. Most hardgainers eat less than they realize.  You should be eating every 2-4 hours and your meals need to be dense in healthy calories.
2.   Wrong Food Choices. Eating too many carbs and not enough protein and healthy fats will not help you gain weight.  Be sure to include protein, a healthy fat and some healthy carbs in each meal (think whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes).
3.   Too Much Activity. The typical hardgainer (or ectomorph) is always on the go.  They tend to be quite active and often forget to eat.  A physically active job will burn calories and these calories need to be replaced.
4.   Training Wrong. If you just work one muscle group at a time (think bicep curls) you won’t get anywhere near the results you would get by doing compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.  Talk to a trainer to get a proper program set up.
5.   Avoiding Fat Gains. When trying to put on muscle gaining weight without gaining fat is slow & hard so don’t be afraid of gaining a bit of fat.  Gain weight first, then lose the fat. 
6.   No Consistency. No approach will work if you miss workouts, neglect to meet your daily caloric needs and change your approach all the time.  Find an app on your phone to track your calories and your workouts.  Stay accountable if you really want results!

Best Foods to Gain Weight.
Calorie dense foods that are healthy are the best ones for weight gain.  Here’s list of some good ones:
·         All natural peanut butter
·         Dark chocolate
·         Raw almonds, cashews and other nuts & seeds
·         Fruit (especially dried fruit)
·         Whole grains, whole wheat pasta and brown rice
·         Potatoes and yams
·         Beans and other legumes
·         Avocados
·         Dairy such as cheese and yogurt
·         Fish high in omega 3’s such as salmon and tuna (watch your intake of tuna due to mercury)
·         Red meats with the word ‘round’ or ‘loin’ in the name
·         Olive oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil
       
- If you can't get enough calories from food, try a meal replacement shake. Add peanut butter, flax oil, fruit, etc to make it even more calorie dense.  Vega has some really good ones!  (p.s if you order Vega off my website I do get a little kickback.  That’s not why I promote it though – I promote it because I use it and it’s an extremely high quality product that I’m proud to recommend on my website).
So there you have it!  Just as someone who is struggling to lose those last 10 pounds, hardgainers must be diligent and consistent with their nutrition and physical activity - if you want it enough you’ll do the work and get the results!  Contact me anytime with your questions!
Heather Lind
Wholey Fit Inc.
We make healthy bodies!
www.wholeyfit.ca
info@wholeyfit.ca
604-773-4660 
  

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Leg Recovery

Today we rode out to Porteau Cove and it was awesome! 

Climbing hill after hill, chasing after the 2 guys in the lead, legs burning, heart pounding, lungs feeling like they may burst at any moment....I felt exhilarated!  I LOVE hills!!

I rode just over 92km today and when I got home my legs felt heavy and tired.  No worries though because I knew just what to do!  At the end of my shower I ran the water over just my legs and slowly made the water cooler and cooler until it was as cold as it would go.  I then slowly counted to 30 as I ran the water over one leg and then the other.  A little uncomfortable, but when I was done my legs felt refreshed and ready for tomorrow to teach my 3 spin classes and a Total Body Conditioning class. 

Cold water really works well on tired legs - give it a try after your next big ride, or tough workout!

Now it's time for a snack and a nap :)

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Healthy and Easy Recipe for Chicken Marsala

Crock pots rule!  Just throw in the ingredients, turn it on and walk away - dinner will be waiting for you when you get home :)

Here's an excellent recipe to try:

CHICKEN MARSALA CROCK POT RECIPE


Ingredients


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup Chopped parsley
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms


Directions


Mix most of the flour with the sea salt and pepper and cover the chicken breast in this mixture. In a skillet brown the chicken breast on both sides and place in the Crock pot. Add the wine and mushrooms to the skillet and let heat for about 10 minutes, while tossing and stirring. Sprinkle the left over flour onto the chicken breast and pour the sauce over. Allow cooking on low for 6 hours. Use the parsley to garnish the finished chicken Marsala.

 

Delicious!  You know what else is delicious?  Easter chocolate - especially after a long bike ride on a beautiful day with my awesome bike club :)  Hope you're enjoying your Easter weekend!