To Your Health: July 2012

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In this issue:

Par-tay the Healthy Way!
Healthy Snacks/Beverages to Cool You Down this Summer!
Make Exercise a Splash!
Blueberries for Better Health
News and Events
Recipe of the Month: Feta Cheese Watermelon Salad
Quote of the Month

A Note from Bonnie

I know you have been working hard through the winter months making positive changes in your eating and exercise habits. Now that summer is here, you are physically fit and feel great! This month, I bring you tips and fun so you can stay healthy and fit all summer long. If you love pool parties, you will love the fun food and exercise ideas I am sharing with you to make your party the “go to party” this summer. You will splash your way to fitness and stay cool with the healthy snacks and beverages ideas included in this month’s newsletter.

Enjoy!
—Bonnie

Par-tay the Healthy Way!

Barbeques and pool parties are a great place to socialize with friends while enjoying the sun and a swim. But foods typically served at these get-togethers are also known to include mayonnaise-heavy salads, super sweet desserts, and hefty burgers and hot dogs that are not so figure friendly. No worries! There is always a healthy alternative to many of these foods.

When it comes to salads, use whole grain pasta or quinoa instead of semolina pasta for macaroni salads. Swap out mayonnaise for a variety of vinegars (like rice wine or apple cider vinegar) for flavorful summer salads, and add low fat feta or nonfat Greek yogurt for a creamy texture and a boost of protein. Most salads include onions and peppers which is great, but you can bulk them up even more with veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, or fruits like apples, pears and mandarin oranges. Not only will you have a very colorful salad, but you will be providing guests with tons of healthy fruits and vegetables in their favorite summer sides.

Consider bringing veggie burgers to your next summer party and you will have the guests going meatless in no time! And because veggie burgers are loaded with vegetables and spices, you will find that you do not need as many unhealthy toppings (like cheese and bacon) for flavor. If guests are craving fun toppings, try veggie or turkey bacon, low fat or even vegan cheese (which melts great on the grill!), and try spinach instead of lettuce for more fiber and vitamins per delicious bite!

Be the one who brings the vegetable platter for an appetizer or frui t salad for dessert. Fill up on these fresh and filling snacks first so you do not overindulge on some of the less healthy sides later on. Offer hummus and Greek yogurt as dips instead of using sour cream for chips and ranch dip for your vegetables.

Incorporate a few of these tips and you will throw the most fun and healthy pool party in town! Enjoy!

Healthy Snacks/Beverages to Cool You Down this Summer!

Summer is officially here and it is hot, hot, hot. The first thing that comes to my mind on these hot summer days is staying cool. Whether you decide to take a trip to the beach, or take a dip in a pool, or just simply stay by your air conditioning all day you will most likely need to have a refreshing cool snack to have with you throughout your day.

Here’s a few tasty, delicious, and most of all healthy snacks and drinks to keep you energized and refreshed in this heat wave!

Watermelon and Feta Salad: Yes that’s right I said it! This sweet and salty snack not only tastes delicious but will definitely cool you down on this scorching hot day! Watermelon is a great source of lycopenes, which is an antioxidant that may lower the risk of developing certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. One ounce serving of feta cheese gives you 14 percent of the daily riboflavin or vitamin B-2 intake which also has important antioxidant properties and helps prevents signs of aging!

Coconut Water: This newly popular refreshment is fat free, cholesterol-free, is low in calories, is super hydrating, naturally rich in electrolytes, and tastes amazing. A great way to quench your thirst, especially on days like this!

Cold Peanut Butter Treats: There are other replacements for ice cream bars and ice pops that fill you up on hot summer days! Try sliding a Popsicle stick through a banana and spreading a thin layer of peanut butter over the banana, which will help provide a healthy, energy packed, high protein boost. Next roll it over healthy toppings such as chopped nuts or wheat germ. Lastly freeze them and enjoy!

Cold Soups: Hot soups may seem unappealing for the summer, but cool soups such as gazpacho provides a nutritious and refreshing summer meal! Add water-packed vegetables such as squash, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that taste delicious and are full of fiber to help with digestion and stabilizes your blood sugar.

Have fun, healthy, happy summer days. Remember to bring your sunscreen and sunglasses and keep hydrated all summer long. What’s your favorite snack/beverage that cools you down?

Share with us on our Facebook page!

Make Exercise a Splash!

Water aerobics is a great way to burn calories in the summer while still staying cool—and you will not even feel like you are working out! Just treading water is a workout in itself. The resistance that water provides in a pool keeps your muscles constantly engaged and working hard. For people with joint problems, the pool is also a great place to work out. Pool exercise is non-impact, but still keeps your body moving, without the wear and tear on your joints. While swimming is always great exercise, there are a lot of other things you can do in a pool for cardio and resistance training.

Some of these exercises involve a beach ball or a foam noodle to use as “weights.”

Warm up: Simply run or jump in place to your favorite pool party song. About halfway through the song, get your arms involved with a jumping jack motion.

Foam noodle: Perform these three exercises for 30-45 seconds. Do a total of 3 sets, with 30-45 seconds of rest in between each set.

Perform continuous shoulder presses holding the noodle like a bar over your head.
Hold the noodle with an end in each hand, and extend the arms straight up, forming an arch over your head. Bend back slowly, the goal being to touch the noodle to the surface of the water without bending your arms.
Keeping the arch, bend side to side, working your oblique’s.

No equipment: Alternate each movement for 30-60 seconds each. Perform a total of 3 sets with 30-45 seconds of rest between each set. *If you want to increase the intensity of the workout, perform the first non-equipment move in between each resistance exercise*

Hold onto the side of the pool. Extend the lower half of your body outward, and kick your legs as hard as you can, making waves in the pool.
Stand with one foot in front of the other and jump to switch the leading foot.

Beach ball: The larger the ball, the more difficult the exercises will be. Perform these three exercises for 30-45 seconds. Perform a total of 3 sets, with 30-45 seconds of rest in between each set.

Give the beach ball a hug. While hugging the ball, extend the body so the ball is still pressed against your chest, but you are horizontal. Twist the body from side to side, engaging the core while you twist.
Staying in this position, extend the arms downward while holding the ball, and arch the ball towards your thighs, keeping the arms straight. When the ball touches your thighs, bring your elbows in, and ball to the chest, and repeat the motion.

These resistance moves will help tone you up while you have fun in the sun. You can also play pool games in a group like beach volleyball, horseshoes, or “Marco Polo” if you want to get your pool exercise in with a number of people. So make like a fish and jump into the water for a toner you this July!

Blueberries for Better Health

July is National Blueberry Month! If someone told you there was a food that could help you lose weight, prevent disease and keep you looking great, you’d probably have doubts. Fortunately, science has shown us that blueberries can do all those things and maybe more! Need additional reasons to add blueberries to your diet? Read on!

Get gorgeous. Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit, giving them the ability to protect cells and keep your skin beautiful and your hair and nails strong.

Look younger. They help neutralize free radicals which can accelerate the aging process.

Fight fat. This power berry is high in fiber, low-calorie and naturally sweet, making it an effective diet aid when you need to slim down.

Stay healthy. Blueberries promote a healthy urinary tract by making it hard for bad bacteria to cling to the walls of the bladder.

See clearly. They’ve also been shown to prevent cataracts and improve nighttime vision.

Zoom in. Blueberries may reduce the effects of oxidative stress, keeping diseases like Alzheimer’s away.

Live longer. Blueberries are cardio protective, keeping your heart in good shape.

Be Regular. This little fruit contains soluble and insoluble fiber to keep your digestive system healthy.

Fight disease. Blueberries are thought to keep colon and ovarian cancer at bay.

Be happy. Nothing is a better, guilt-free indulgence than blueberries! They just taste great!

Quote of the Month:

“When anyone tells me I can’t do anything, I’m just not listening anymore.”
– Florence Griffith Joyner (American athlete, 1988 Summer Olympics)

NEWS AND EVENTS:

The Nutrition Key with BRG Blog – Summer Series
Success Stories

Each Wednesday during the months of July and August, The Nutrition Key with BRG will present a Success Story in the Summer Success blog series. These posts will reflect the personal triumphs of several of Bonnie’s clients in hopes of inspiring her readers to create their own success stories! Be sure to subscribe to the blog, or check in every Wednesday to be inspired all summer long. All you have to do is click here and follow the instructions to receive an email with the link to each new post. Don’t miss out!

Read about Melanie’s Success story below and get inspired!

Contest: Win a Nutrition Check-up!

Enter for a chance to win a FREE Nutrition Check-up! All you have to do is LIKE us on Facebook and you will be entered to win. Winner will be drawn on July 20th, so hurry and enter. Click on this link, and then click the LIKE button. You will automatically be entered into the drawing! Good luck!

Melanie’s* Success Story

Today we are celebrating Melanie. Melanie is a lactation consultant and mother of three. When she started working with Bonnie, she had never tried any kind of formal “diet” or meal plan before. Her attempts on her own were not working and she was curious as to why it seemed that she couldn’t lose weight. She knew she needed some help. She was also concerned because 3 out of 4 of her grandparents had diabetes, and she was determined not go down that road.

The biggest shock for Melanie was how much she was eating for a 5 foot 1 inch tall woman. While her food choices were not all unhealthy, the portions she was taking were too large. “The biggest challenge was getting used to portion control. I was taking two chicken breasts at dinner…I’m 5’1” I didn’t need that much chicken” she laughed.

As Melanie began to lose weight, she said she realized how “not well” she felt before. She did not know that the weight she had been carrying was not a part of who she was. For her, the turning point was putting on a pair of old jeans, zipping them up, and having them fall down. “Size 12 to 0 is pretty life transforming” she reflects. Always a ball of energy, Melanie now had so much more energy thanks to her new lifestyle. “Bonnie has really given me the guidance so that now I understand this is my natural weight. This is not a product of weight loss; this is who I am supposed to be. She has taught me this.”

Melanie also has seen her lifestyle changes reflected in those around her. Her husband lost 50 pounds and her babysitter lost 45 pounds. Her kids are only familiar with whole grain products. “I had always known what my children were eating [but since my weight loss] it really hit home.” Her success has radiated positive change throughout all those around her. She also feels that her new knowledge of healthy living has made her better at coaching people in her line of work.

Now that she is maintaining her new lifestyle and feels great, Melanie would like to let everyone reading know that if they are inspired by her story, go make an appointment to change. “You will be surprised that you can do it. I believe that if you take a chance on yourself and believe in yourself, success will come from there. And Bonnie is an extraordinary hand holder.”

If you are inspired by Melanie’s story, let us know! And be sure to visit next Wednesday for our next success story!

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of Bonnie’s clients.

Recipe of the Month: Feta Cheese Watermelon Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ small red onion, chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups cubed watermelon
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup fat-free feta cheese
¼ cup mint, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Instructions

Mix onions with lemon juice and salt.
Gently mix watermelon cubes, tomato, feta cheese, onions with lemon juice and mint.
Pour olive oil over mixture and season with pepper.
Top with chopped walnuts.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup = 190 calories
7.5 gm total fat
2.5 gm monounsaturated fat
4 gm polyunsaturated fat
0.5 gm saturated fat
less than 5 mg cholesterol
12 gm protein
346 mg sodium
20 gm carbohydrates
2 gm dietary fiber