BetterBody Pilates Fitness Newsletter
Road Trips won't stop you from exercising -- if you know what to pack. Find a little room in your suitcase for exercise tubes, a great compact tool for weight training and resistance exercises when away from home or your gym. Ask your instructor to design an exercise program.
Quick & Easy Meatball Meal
Makes 4 Servings
Per Serving: 370 cal, 29 g pro, 32 g carb, 13 g fat, 5 g sat fat, 44 mg chol, 5 g fiber, 433 mg sodium
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cooking Time: 23 minutes
- 2 c cooked brown rice
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ c reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese
- 1 lb lean organic or grass-fed ground beef
- 2 med zucchini (1 lb), cut into thin slices
- 1 c bottled marinara sauce
- Preheat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, combine rice, oregano, and 2 tablespoons of feta. Stir in beef until combined.
- Scatter zucchini in 13" x 9" baking dish in single layer. Using a small ice cream scoop, shape meat mixture into sixteen 1 1/2" balls. Place meatballs on top of zucchini, and drizzle with marinara sauce.
- Cover with foil. Bake 22 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
- Uncover, and top with remaining feta. Let sit in oven until feta melts, about 1 minute.
Pilates and Posture
Find your perfect posture and you’ll find your Better Body!
By Aggie Winston, Certified Pilates Instructor - Physical Mind Institute
What is posture and why is it so important? You already know as a pilates devotee that your pilates teacher is always trying to get you to lengthen your spine and it may seem that should be easy to do, however, in reality it can often be elusive and frustrating (at first). Joseph Pilates was one of the leading proponents of developing his exercise system to improve posture thus eliminating problems that create undue stresses and strain in the muscular skeletal system. For many of us, modern life conspires against maintaining good posture. We spend hours sitting at computers and watching television. So what is good posture and what are some of the common misconceptions about posture?
To assess your own posture, first ask yourself this question. . Do I slump? Or do I sway? Chances are you are one or the other to some degree. When you’re first starting to stand up straight, it’s surprisingly difficult to press the soles of your feet downward into the floor while lengthening your spine keeping your chest open without pushing your ribs out of line. But ultimately, if you take the time to learn and practice daily, you will begin to stand in a way that feels naturally “good”, your feet will support your weight evenly and you will begin to feel the natural curves of a healthy spine especially when sitting and standing. In fact, you might even go so far to say it will change your life! People may even start asking, “what’s different about you”, and you can smile to yourself and know your efforts are being rewarded.
The first step to changing anything about your posture is to develop awareness about your own postural habits by learning to assess yourself. Next, develop a plan with your pilates instructor to address these issues (your pilates instructor will be thrilled that you have taken the time and effort to observe yourself). Finally, take what you have learned and apply it to everything you do throughout the day. In no time you’ll feel much more centered and balanced with lots less pain in your neck, shoulders or lower back.
Now it’s time to try these simple assessment tools to help you find your natural standing posture so you can start to improve it. . So follow these simple steps to find out whether you slump or sway, and you’ll be on your way to making a change.
First, stand against a door-jamb with your heels very near the jamb, you should have contact with your back at 3 places: a) your sacrum, the upside down triangular-shaped bone a few inches above your tailbone b) the middle and upper back (thoracic spine) c) the back of your head. With normal spine curves, your lower back (lumbar spine) and neck (cervical spine) won’t touch and there should be an inch of space between the doorjamb and vertebrae of your lower back. If you can slide your whole hand into the space, you have a swayback (or excessive lordosis). Lordosis in the lumbar spine usually contributes to disk problems and muscle strain/joint pain in the lower back and hips.
You may notice that your chin lifts up when you place the back of your head against the jamb, you probably have what is called “kyophosis” or forward head which is common and puts significant strain on your neck muscles and intervertebral disks and is also related to the forward rounding “slump” that often occurs as we age if we don’t work on it!! Years of “forward head” will cause the muscles of your upper back and neck to become tired and achy, from trying to keep your head help up against the force of gravity. Sound familiar?
A good place to start to re-establish your spine’s natural mild curves and improve flexibility between your disks will be with the back strengthening, flexion and extension exercises in the fundamental pilates repertoire: (laying on your back) bridge/hip rolls, (on all 4’s) cat, (sitting) spine stretch forward, saw, (laying on your stomach) beginner cobra pose, swan dive, swimming. Also learning to establish and maintain a “neutral” pelvis in your pilates exercise regimen will make the exercises really works their magic!
But maintaining your “healthy” curves is only part of the equation; to function efficiently your skeletal structure also need to be aligned vertically. What does that mean you ask?
Well, it means that when you’re standing, your ears should be over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips and your hips over your knees and ankles. Remember, you don't hold your posture, the idea is that you relax as your posture “holds you”. So while your working on all this be patient, get help from your instructor with specific exercises to help you with the problems you identify, and you may find that you’re likely to stand better, breathe better, and feel better all over adding quality of movement and energy to everything you do.
Popular Diets: 1st Installment: Atkins
Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
Author’s credentials: The late Robert C. Atkins, MD, had a cardiology specialty. He’s the founder and former director of the Atkins Center for Complimentary Medicine in New York City.
Summary: The plan is ketogenic, fat is not restricted, meticulous counting of grams of carbohydrate is necessary. It Begins with a 2-week (& up to 6 months or more) “induction” phase limiting carb intake to 20g/d, prohibiting the intake of fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, or dairy products other than cheese, cream, or butter. There are 2 subsequent phases where daily carb intake is increased in weekly increments of 5g & 10g respectively, finalized by a maintenance phase.
Pros: It decriminalizes dietary fat. It allows vegetable consumption, and educates the dieter on which carbohydrate foods are more fiber & nutrient dense than others. It attempts to be systematic. Exercise is encouraged.
Cons: It’s agonizing to follow, especially for those without a penchant for accounting for minute detail, in this case incremental carbohydrate grams. It allows an excessive intake of saturated fat, and it does not keep glycogen stores adequately filled for normal physical activity. Low-carb diets are not conducive to mental alertness or cognitive performance. They can also reliably lower thyroid levels. Excessive protein intake without a vigilant eye on covering increased calcium needs puts high-protein dieters at risk for osteoporosis later in life.
Conclusion: Although this latest rendition of the Atkins plan encourages the intake of high-fiber plant foods, it perpetuates carbophobia in dieters, and clouds the real issue of overall calorie balance. Many Atkins dieters will not be able to exercise progressively. The biggest knock against the Atkins diet is that scientific research does not support the long-term effectiveness of this dietary approach. In recent clinical trials comparing it with the conventional high-carb regime, the Atkins group was kicking butt at the 6-month mark. However, at the 12-month mark, there were no significant weight differences between the two groups of dieters, while side effects were more severe in the Atkins diet group.
Next month I’ll take an objective look at the South Beach Diet. Feel free to contact me for comments, questions, and inquiries about personal nutritional counseling at (805) 374-1125.
