Microwave Hacks and Treadmill Tracks for a Healthier You

Embrace the winter season with ease, transitioning from shorter days to snowy nights can be simplified by optimizing your time. A valuable time-saving tip is to make the most of your microwave, harnessing its ability to heat food quickly, efficiently, and evenly through electromagnetic radiation. Contrary to past beliefs, microwaves are a safe and convenient cooking method.

Microwave Cooking Basics

Use these tips and learn the benefits of microwave cooking to create a healthy and easy meal for you and your loved ones tonight!

Preserve nutrients: Many nutrients in vegetables are sensitive to heat. When they are cooked, it can sometimes lead to certain vitamins being lost in the cooking process. The nutrient most sensitive to heat is Vitamin C, which is found in large quantities in vegetables such as peppers, kale, spinach, and broccoli. Because microwave cooking is faster than other forms, the amount of nutrient retention is higher, thus healthier for you to enjoy.

Arrange your plate: Place thicker food on the outside of the plate before heating and keep the smaller pieces of food in the center for a more even distribution of heat. Never reheat food in a metal container or aluminum foil; recent health studies have also advised against heating in plastic containers or plastic wrap. Using a glass plate or container is the safest choice.

Circles are better than Squares: Along with the arrangement of thicker foods on the outside of your plate, using a circular or oval-shaped dish is better than a square or rectangular one. Because of the square dish’s edges, the energy of the heat tends to be directed there, causing the food in that area to become overcooked or burnt.

Forget the salt, add the water: Be wary of adding salt to food before microwaving. Aside from the health factor, salt on top of food attracts the heat waves that are generated during microwave cooking, which can lead to food becoming dried out. Adding alternative spices to your leftovers is a great way to add back some flavor that may have been lost. Bonus tip: Adding about half an inch of water to frozen vegetables or fruits or sprinkling water over leftover dishes will keep foods from drying out.

Defrosting: When defrosting food in the microwave to speed up cooking time, remember to immediately cook the food in the oven or on the stove. Leaving partially defrosted/cooked food out may lead to food-borne illness.

By streamlining your kitchen activities, you free up precious time to prioritize self-care and incorporate healthy movements into your day. In the chilly winter months, staying active might seem challenging, but it’s far from impossible. Consider using a treadmill for your workouts; it provides an effective exercise option that is gentler on your joints compared to traditional pavement pounding. Explore diverse workout routines tailored for the treadmill, ensuring that you keep your body moving and maintain your well-being throughout the season.

Treadmill Workouts for the Winter

Treadmills are great because you have control over speed and incline, so you have a better gauge of your progress in terms of the distance you went, and how fast you have been going. You also protect yourself from hidden bumps in the road, twigs and sticks you might trip on, and the occasional frightening dog that you may run into when you are outside.

Here are some ways to spice up the treadmill:

Ladder Workout: his workout is nice because you are constantly engaged in how much time is left in one speed by using a ladder system. Start with a warm-up of 5-10 minutes. Increase by increments of .5 every 30-60 seconds. When you reach a pace that is difficult to sustain, start coming back down the ladder the same way you went up; lowering by increments of .5 every 30-60 seconds until you are back to a recovery pace. Repeat this circuit as many times as it takes to fill the desired length of your workout. Cool down for five minutes.

Interval Workout: Avoid setting the treadmill at only one speed and incline and then walking or running just at that level. Using intervals is more interesting. The easiest way to do intervals is picking either a 1:1, 2:1 or 1:2 ratio with either your time or the distance you have gone at a certain pace. For 1:1 you would run for 1 minute and recover for 1 minute. For a 2:1, you would run for two minutes and recover for 1 minute. Distance is the same thing. In a 1:1 to you could run a quarter of a mile at one pace and recover for a quarter of a mile at a recovery pace.

Tune in on the Treadmill: Pick one or two of your favorite shows that you always make time to watch and vow to only watch when you are on the treadmill. This will give you the motivation to go do your workout. You can also use the TV for intervals as well and walk while you are watching and increase the intensity during the commercials.

Move to the Music: Many apps for the phone take your gym playlist and pick which songs work best for the speed you want to run. The beat goes with your running cadence keeping you more engaged. You can also search online to find websites where you can put in the speed you want to sustain a run or a walk at and it will generate a list of the best songs for your playlist!

Always check with your physician before starting a new workout or changing/increasing the intensity.