THURSDAY: THE FITNESS FACTOR


Build Your Upper-Body Strength With These Push-ups!

Remember when you first started working out and couldn't do five consecutive push-ups without collapsing? Now that you've been training for a while, you can do sets of ten without even breaking a sweat. Feels good, right? Well, maybe it feels a little too good. It might be time to push yourself a bit by introducing some push-up variations to further train the chest, triceps, and shoulders.

Here are two advanced push-ups to add to your repertoire:

Plyo Push-up
Start in your usual push-up position. Slowly lower yourself to the floor. With an explosive burst, exhale and push yourself up, bringing your hands off the floor and clapping them together. Land in the push-up position and repeat. The plyo (for plyometric) push-up increases muscle power by adding extra difficulty.

Close-Grip Push-up
Start in a push-up position but keep your hands directly under your shoulders instead of out to the side. Your legs should be extended straight out behind you, your feet slightly apart, so you are balancing on the balls of your feet as well as your palms. Keep your elbows pressed firmly against your torso as you slowly lower yourself down. Exhale, press back up to the starting position, and repeat. This close-grip push-up places more emphasis on your anterior shoulder muscles and triceps as well as your chest.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Challenging Yourself From Your Feet on Up
Another factor to consider when you vary your intensity level is your "base." This refers to the way in which you plant your feet on the floor. A wide base — placing your feet wide apart — helps stabilize your body. Working through an exercise with a wide base makes it easier to maintain form throughout reps. A narrow base, on the other hand — placing the feet together — makes any exercise more difficult, because your core and other muscle groups have to work harder to maintain a neutral — or balanced — body position.

- July 5

VIDEO: 6-Minute Hips, Glutes and Thighs Workout
Target Your Lower Body with this Effective Routine

If you have 6 minutes to spare, then you have time to effectively work out your hips, glutes and thighs.

In this short video, Coach Nicole will lead you through four targeted exercises (plus stretches) that will help you develop tighter and firmer lower body muscles over time.

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Dining Out With High Cholesterol

Restaurant menus are full of tempting dishes and sinful treats that you know are bad for you. How can you make healthy choices that will satisfy your taste buds and help you manage your cholesterol? Find out what to eat and what to avoid.

Obesity Rates Continue to Climb

The rates of adult obesity in the United States increased in 23 states during the past year — and did not decrease in any state. Read more about the findings.

	Today's Healthy Recipe Mediterranean Portobello Burger This mushroom sandwich comes topped with a luscious Greek-style salad. Get the recipe.

	Ask the Expert Is Food Addiction Really an Addiction? Q: I am a registered dietitian who works with severely obese patients going through gastric bypass. Most believe they are addicted to food. Is this true? See Dr. Martin Binks's answer »

The Truth About Abdominal Exercises

Millions of Americans desire toned abdominals, but will sit-ups really remove that fat around your waistline? Visit our partner site, Spine Universe, to learn the facts.

Healthy Recipes
All-Star Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
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All-Star Peanut Butter Cookies
Quick Info:
Servings
Contains NutsContains Nuts
Contains EggContains Egg
Most PopularMost Popular
Diabetes-FriendlyDiabetes-Friendly
Nutritional Info (Per serving):
Calories: 66, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 35mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Fat: 4g, Carbs: 7g, Sugars: 6g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Protein: 2g
Exchanges: Other Carb: 0.5, Fat: 0.5
Carb Choices: 0.5
Recipe Source:

More Diabetic Recipes
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 9 mins
Total Time: 19 mins
Ingredients

* 1 cup(s) sugar
* 1 cup(s) peanut butter
* 1 egg(s)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the 1 cup sugar, the peanut butter, and egg until well mixed. Using your hands, roll peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each ball slightly with a drinking glass that has been lightly greased and dipped in sugar. Lightly grease a small star-shaped cookie cutter; dip in sugar. Press into the center of each cookie.

2. Bake about 9 minutes or until edges are set and bottoms are lightly browned.

Starting Exercise Again?

Posted: 03 Jul 2009 12:36 PM PDT
If I were starting exercise again, my numero uno suggestion to myself would be to pick an activity I enjoy! Its that simple! We do and continue to do activities that we enjoy and love!

If I were in an "exercise rut" for months or even years, I would start exercising again by playing a sport like flag football....this would be easy for me to do and I would stay with it because I love playing sports.

What about you? What physical activity do you love? Are you in an "exercise rut?" Forget all the exercise theories and articles! Just get started with an exercise activity you love and do this activity for at least 30 minutes on most days. Before you know it, you will have started exercising regularly again (and loving it)!

Then, just add in 30 minutes of bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, squats, step ups and lunges 3 days a week.....and guess what? You will then be doing weight training on a regular basis.

What do you love to do? Dancing, jogging, hiking, biking, walking, gardening, swimming, etc. Pick some activity, get off the couch and start exercising again for fun!

Get started....get started exercising again today with some activity you love! Happy July 4th holiday!

Get Healthy Without Even Trying Kick off the holiday weekend with a little exercise. Yes, exercise. Ways to Sneak Fitness Into Your Day Also See: • All About Vitamins, Supplements • Simple Ways to Stop Overeating • Scheduled to Have a Medical Exam?

- July 4

Cut Calories without Dieting
Cut Fat and Calories without Deprivation

The word "diet" doesn't always mean eating less to lose weight--although that's what we commonly associate it with today. Someone "on a diet" is trying to eat less, or stop eating sweets to fit into a smaller pant size.

Diet has another meaning. It also describes the food that you normally consume--following a vegetarian diet, an American diet, or "My diet consists of meat and potatoes." Improving your normal diet by making gradual, but permanent changes is a healthier way to lose weight than by just restricting calories.

Low calorie and fad diets can have serious health implications--insufficient vitamin and nutritional intake, lethargy, slowed metabolism, hormonal effects, and even dehydration. Dieters commonly experience intense feelings of hunger and deprivation, which can lead to "cheating" or bingeing over time.

Here are a few tips to help you decrease your caloric intake without "dieting" or feeling deprived...



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The Food Pyramid
Fats and sweets	Use olive, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut oils Limit saturated fats and trans fats, substituting healthier fats instead Limit sweets
Dairy products	One to two servings of low-fat dairy products or a daily calcium and vitamin D supplement
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and legumes	One to three servings of nuts and legumes Up to two servings of fish, poultry, or eggs Choose vegetable sources of protein, such as nuts and beans, more often than animal sources, such as red meat and dairy products
Vegetables and fruits	Two to three servings of fruit Vegetables in abundance Aim for nine servings a day of fruit and vegetables; seek variety
Bread, cereal, pasta, and rice	Eat whole grains and whole-grain products liberally Limit intake of potatoes and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, and refined-grain pasta
Alcohol	Use in moderation if enjoyed, as long as you have no health problems or conditions that would dictate otherwise
Vitamins	Multivitamin daily
What's a serving?
One serving of dairy products equals 1 cup milk or yogurt 11/2 ounces natural cheese 2 ounces processed cheese		One serving of vegetables or fruits equals 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables 1/2 cup other vegetables or fruit, cooked or chopped 1 medium apple, banana, or orange 3/4 cup fruit or vegetable juice
One serving of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, or nuts equals 2–3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish 1/2 cup cooked dry beans 2–3 eggs 4–6 tablespoons of peanut butter		One serving of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta equals 1 slice of bread 1 ounce (about 1 cup) ready-to-eat cereal 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Adapted from Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H. (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

From the Harvard Health Publications Special Health Report, Living Better, Living Longer: The Secrets of Healthy Aging. Copyright 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Illustrations by Harriet Greenfield and Marcia Williams. All rights reserved. Written permission is required to reproduce, in any manner, in whole or in part, the material contained herein. To make a reprint request, contact Harvard Health Publications. Used with permission of StayWell.

Use of Content | Disclaimer | Last Full Review 2005