| EXERCISE OF THE WEEK Breathing Meditation and Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress Relief  With its focus on full, cleansing breaths, deep breathing is a simple, yet powerful, relaxation technique. It's easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere, and provides a quick way to get your stress levels in check. Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and music. All you really need is a few minutes and a place to stretch out. The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible in your lungs. When you take deep breaths from the abdomen, rather than shallow breaths from your upper chest, you inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel.
If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying on the floor. Put a small book on your stomach, and try to breathe so that the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique
Progressive muscle relaxation involves a two-step process in which you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups in the body.
With regular practice, progressive muscle relaxation gives you an intimate familiarity with what tension-as well as complete relaxation-feels like in different parts of the body. This awareness helps you spot and counteract the first signs of the muscular tension that accompanies stress. And as your body relaxes, so will your mind. You can combine deep breathing with progressive muscle relaxation for an additional level of stress relief.
Most progressive muscle relaxation practitioners start at the feet and work their way up to the face. For a sequence of muscle groups to follow, see the box below.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Sequence The most popular sequence runs as follows:
* If you are left-handed you may want to begin with your left foot instead.
www.upwardmotionpt.com
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Breathing Meditation and Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress Relief
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard & White Beans
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4 servings
Active Time:
Total Time:
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium acorn squash, halved (see Tip) and seeded
- 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 cups chopped chard leaves (about 1 large bunch chard)
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Note)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Cut a small slice off the bottom of each squash half so it rests flat. Brush the insides with 1 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar-size) microwave-safe dish. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on High until the squash is fork-tender, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in water, tomato paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in chard, cover and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in white beans and olives; cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Position rack in center of oven; preheat broiler.
- Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Fill each squash half with about 1 cup of the chard mixture. Place in a baking pan or on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil in the center of the oven until the breadcrumbs are browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Tip: Make it easier to cut a pumpkin, acorn squash or other winter squash: pierce in several places with a fork; microwave on High for 45 to 60 seconds. Use a large sharp knife to cut in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon.
- Ingredient Note: We like Ian's brand of coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs, labeled "Panko breadcrumbs." Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets. To make your own breadcrumbs, trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs.
342 calories;
13 g fat ( 3 g sat , 8 g mono );
6 mg cholesterol;
49 g carbohydrates;
11 g protein;
12 g fiber;
665 mg sodium;
151 mg potassium.
Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 plant-based protein, 2 fat
Nutrition Note: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Vitamin C (60% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (33% dv), Folate (29% dv), Iron (20% dv).
www.upwardmotionpt.com
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Barbara MacMillan's Success Story with Ideal Protein
Well, my 50th came and went and still no weight loss, but I did not let that discourage me from exercising, because at least I was feeling better. Then, just before the holidays, Luis told me about the Ideal Protein program. “Your Last Diet”, the brochure stated. When I read about it I thought “this is the one for me”. I have done well in the past on low carb diets, but could I stick with it? I decided I would wait until after the New Year, because who wants to be on a diet during the holidays.
Luis would periodically check in with me to see if I had contacted the local distributor and, well, I never did. Then, sometime in February Jami told me that she and Luis were going to start the Ideal Protein program at Upward Motion. Without hesitation I said “sign me up!” I was excited not only about the program, but about the convenience of having it available where I come to exercise anyway.
In March I started on the plan and have never looked back. I started losing right away and didn’t feel hungry or deprived. The food was actually better than I expected and my grocery bill even went down. My weight loss goal was 1-2 pounds a week and within two months I had exceeded that goal. I am now at MY ideal weight, well within the range for my height. I started out in the “obese” category for BMI and now am in the “normal” category, a place I haven’t seen in more than 15 years! I have lost 35+ pounds, gone down 4 pants sizes, and have had to purchase a whole new wardrobe. I am no longer needing my asthma inhaler before I exercise, my knees don’t hurt anymore, and I am even able to wear high heels again.
Indeed, the diet was the one for me, but what has really kept me going is the support and encouragement I get weekly from Jami, Luis, and the rest of the staff at Upward Motion. I cannot thank them enough for helping me beat the odds and lose the weight, even after 50. This is a diet you can really LIVE with.
Barbara before:
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Enjoy the Rest of Your Summer
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Upward Motion Personal Training | 2204 palomas dr ne | albuquerque | NM | 87110 |
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Enjoy the Rest of Your Summer
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Upward Motion Personal Training | 2204 palomas dr ne | albuquerque | NM | 87110 |
This email was sent by the author for the sole purpose of testing a draft message. If you believe you have received the message in error, please contact the author by replying to this message. Constant Contact takes reports of abuse very seriously. If you wish to report abuse, please forward this message to abuse@constantcontact.com.
Success Story: Mrs. Cindy Seay
Cindy started with Bridget in early February of this year, she came in wanting to lose weight and tone up. She had a good idea of what to eat and what not to eat, but she wanted to someone to help keep her accountable and kick her butt. Cindy has come full circle, her diet has completely changed and it has become habit to her. She comes in twice a week ready to go and gives each workout 110%. Her measurments have changed drastically, she's lost a total of 15 pounds and looks absolutely fantastic. She is one of many who has really put their all into the process of exercise and eating right and it shows.
Keep up all your good work Cindy, we're all so proud of you! No stopping now!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Mythbuster: Running is Bad for Your Knees
David Felson, a researcher and epidemiologist at Boston University School of Medicine, says past concern about jogging and knees centered on the continuous impact of the foot to the ground and suggestion that it caused degeneration of the knee and the onset of osteoarthritis. But when researchers actually studied the impact of running on knees, he says, that's not what they found.
"We know from many long-term studies that running doesn't appear to cause much damage to the knees," he says. "When we look at people with knee arthritis, we don't find much of a previous history of running, and when we look at runners and follow them over time, we don't find that their risk of developing osteoarthritis is any more than expected." Both types of studies agree, says Felson, that recreational running doesn't increase the risk of arthritis.
'Running Is Healthy For The Joint'
In one study, Swedish researchers found that exercise, including jogging, may even be beneficial. Felson describes how researchers took one group of people at risk of osteoarthritis and had them engage in exercise, including jogging. The other group didn't exercise. After imaging the joints of the participants in both study groups, they found that the biochemistry of cartilage actually appeared to improve in those participants who were running. Felson says that suggests that "running is actually healthy for the joint."
Enlarge
Dennis J. Provost for NPR
Long-term studies show that running doesn't appear to damage knees. But researchers caution that if you've had knee surgery or if you're more than 20 pounds overweight, you shouldn't jump right into an intensive running routine.
Dennis J. Provost for NPR Long-term studies show that running doesn't appear to damage knees. But researchers caution that if you've had knee surgery or if you're more than 20 pounds overweight, you shouldn't jump right into an intensive running routine.
Jonathan Chang, an orthopedic surgeon in Alhambra, Calif., says that exercise appears to stimulate cartilage to repair to minor damage. It could be that the impact of body weight when the foot hits the ground increases production of certain proteins in the cartilage that make it stronger, he says. This is similar to the way exercise, in particular weight-bearing exercise like jogging, increases bone and muscle mass.
According to Nancy Lane, director of the UC Davis Center for Healthy Aging who specializes in rheumatology and diseases related to aging, scientists are now starting to understand that there is some loss of cartilage annually after a certain age. Some doctors think cartilage loss begins after age 40.
But, according to Lane, "if you have a relatively normal knee and you're jogging five to six times a week at a moderate pace, then there's every reason to believe that your joints will remain healthy."
An Indicator Of Activity
That's great news for Paul and Lyra Rider, avid joggers who live in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. Jogging on Mulholland Drive, they say, offers fantastic views — along with a relatively flat route. Paul, 46, jogs a seven- to eight-minute mile — not as fast as his younger days. Lyra jogs a bit slower. She enjoys the exercise, health benefits and simplicity of jogging. "You don't need lots of fancy equipment, and you just feel great when you're done," she says.
Lane did some of the very first studies of runners and knees while she was a resident at Stanford University.
"We wanted to answer the important question of whether, if you continued to run into your 50s and 60s and even 70s, you also ran the risk of damaging the knees," she says. The answer, she says: absolutely not. And there was an extra bonus: While enthusiasm for jogging seemed to diminish as people hit their mid-60s, Lane says they were still more inclined than the non-joggers to get out and exercise.
From NPR's 'The Human Edge'
For Humans, Slow And Steady Running Won The Race
Early human runners never had the speed other animals had. But we did have an edge: endurance.
Fast Feet: A Springy Step Helps Humans Walk
The arch lets humans run, walk more proficiently. Scientists are trying to find out when it evolved.
"They were active doing other activities, like walking, yoga, water aerobics," she says. "We found that as these people aged, not only did they feel better about themselves, but their quality of life was better and they tended to actually live longer" than the non-joggers.
So, the message for joggers like the Riders, who hope to be jogging all their lives, is a hearty two thumbs up.
A Few Caveats
Lane cautions that if you have suffered a knee injury, especially one that required surgery, running can actually increase your risk of knee arthritis. So can routinely running really fast — at a five- or six-minute-mile pace — or running in a marathon. Lane's best advice? Running in moderation, at an eight- to 10-minute mile pace, for about 40 minutes a day.
But if people are more than 20 pounds overweight, Lane says they shouldn't start off with an intense running regimen.
"I have them walk and walk until they're to a point where I think their body mass is reduced enough that it won't traumatize their joints," she says. Otherwise, significantly overweight joggers run the risk of that extra weight stressing the knee to the point of inflammation, the formation of bony spurs and accelerated cartilage loss.
Eat This Not That: Brown Rice Vs. White Rice
Calories
A cup of cooked, medium grain white rice has 242 calories vs. 216 calories in a cup of long grain brown rice.
Fiber
White rice has only 0.6 grams of fiber per cup compared to 4 grams of fiber in brown rice.
Carbs
White rice has 53.2 grams of carbs per cup vs. about 45 grams in a cup of brown rice. In addition, the 4 grams of fiber in the brown rice brings the total net carbs down to 41 grams.
Type 2 Diabetes
Harvard researchers found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week raised a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while eating two or more servings of brown rice per week actually lowered a person's risk of developing the disease.
Vitamins and Minerals
A cup of brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium compared to 19 mg in white rice. This is because white rice is created by removing several of the outer layers of a grain of rice. Many vitamins and minerals are lost in this process. While some of them are put back into white rice (hence the term "enriched rice"), many, including magnesium, are not added back in.
Also, eating a food that contains its original vitamins and minerals in tact is much better for you than eating an "enriched" food that has been stripped of its nutrients and had chemically processed ones artificially added.
Shelf Life
Uncooked brown rice has a considerably shorter shelf life (about six months) than uncooked white rice (eight to ten years) due to the oil in the germ layer of brown rice. Therefore, if you are buying rice as a survival food for long-term storage, white rice might be the better choice.
Cooking Time
Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice because of the outer layers of bran that white rice lacks.
So, if you're trying to decide between white rice and brown rice for health reasons, it's clear that brown rice is the winner. If you're looking to buy rice in bulk for long-term food storage, then white rice is clearly the more practical choice.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Eat this, Not that
Desserts
These tasty treats get the best of us, some more than others. We have come up with some helpful treats to keep your waist line in check and satisfy your cravings.
Eat This:
Fudgesicle No Sugar Added Fudge Bar
40 Calories
1g fat (0g saturated)
2g sugar
Not That:
Weight Wathchers Giant Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bar
110 Calories
1g fat (.5 saturated
16g sugars
Eat this, not that!
Exercise of the Week- Push Up Position Row
Charity Drive for the Kids
Please help Upward Motion Personal training and Altor Construction gather clothes for the kids of Albuquerque. Thanks for your help.
We need all of your help in gathering clothing items for young APS students.
We are collecting NEW undergarments, socks, tights, toiletries, and hair accessories. However, anything and everything will help,
For every donation you will be entered into a drawing to win 1 of 100 "Thank You" goodie-bags! For all the locations
You can donate all items at Upward Motion Personal Training Studio
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Mythbusters
People who are very overweight should avoid exercise
This is not true the key is to start out easy. To begin, start by increasing daily activity. Rearrange your house or office environment so that it makes movement mandatory. Such as getting rid of the romote so when you want to change the channel you have to get up, or putting your alarm clock across the room so you get up and going. Another, good tip once you feel comfortable is getting a sationary bike and only watching T.V. when you are on the bike.
Use helpful tools as well like a pedometer to measure your average daily step count and increase from there. Record the daily steps you take for seven consecutive days then calculate the average. Use the average as a starting point and gradually increase your daily step goals of around 5 to 10 percent per week.
For example, if 3,000 steps is your current daily step average, the goal for next week will be 3,300 steps per day, and 3,630 per day the following week.
Walking is a great way to start an exercise program. If you need additional ideas on how to start an exercise program, contact us @505.268.1231
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Fit Quiz
Ab Challenge
1. Which of the following exercises does not work the abs?
a. Crunches
b. Squats
c. Bicycle maneuver
2. How many times a week should you work out your abs?
a. 2 to 3 non-consecutive days
b. 3 to 4 non-consecutive days
c. 4 to 5 non-consecutive days
3. Which of the following is not a muscle of the abdominals?
a. Rectus abdominus
b. Obliques
c. Gluteus maximus
4. The most effective way to burn fat from your stomach is?
a. A regimen of cardio, strength training, flexibility training and a healthy diet.
b. Countless repetitions of sit-ups and crunches
c. A stationary bike.
5. Which of the following tools is used to build a stronger stomach?
a. Swiss ball
b. Treadmill
c. Leg press
6. The core of the body is made up of?
a. Thighs, butt, and calves
b. Abdominals, lower back and hips
c. Triceps, biceps and shoulders
7. Doing 100 sit-ups a day will...
a. Increase muscle endurance in the abdomionals
b.Give you a washboard stomach
c. Help you lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks
8. Which of the following does not concentrate on core training?
a. Pilate's
b. Yoga
c. Spinning
9. The transversus abdominus is responsible for which of the following:
a. Stabilizing the back
b. Allowing you to twist your body
c. Enabling you to bend forward
10. According to the American Council on Exercise one of the most effective ab exercises is the
a. Traditional crunch
b. Ab rocker
c. Bicycle maneuver
Answers:
1. (a)Crunches
2. (a)2 to 3 non-consecutive days a week
3. (c)Rectus abdominus and obliques are both muscle of the abdominals
4. (a)Regimen of cardio, strength training flexibility training and a healthy diet
5. (a)Swiss ball
6. (b)Abdominals, lower back, and hips
7. (a)Increases muscle endurance in abdominlas
8. (c)Pilate's and yoga concatenate on core training; Spinning is used for cario health
9.(a) Stabilizing the back
10. (c)Bicycle maneuver.
Exercise of the Week
Single Leg Deadlift
- Stand holding weights in front of thighs and place left leg out behind you with the toe lightly touching the floor. Modifications: to make this exercise easier do not use weight, for more of a challenge lift your leg completely off the floor.
- Keep your shoulders back, abs in and your back straight
- Begin to tip from your hips and lower the weights towards the floor.
- Lower as far as your flexibility allows. You can bend the knee slightly if needed.
- Push into the heel to go back to the starting position
- Do 1-3 sets of 10 to 16 reps
This exercise is an awesome strength training tool. It helps with that hip hinge movement but also works your spinal erector muscles, lower trapeziums, and rhomboid muscle. It also stabilizes the spine and shoulder. This exercise keep the load off the lower back and loads it onto the glutes.
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