N2SHAPE Fruit for June: Apricots

Apricots are those beautifully orange colored fruits that are one of the first signs of summer. They are in season in the US form May through August. Their flavor can be described as almost musky, with a faint tartness that lies somewhere between a peach and a plum.

One apricot has 16 calories and is high in beta-carotene, fiber, and vitamin C.

Chubby People May Live Longer than Skinny People????

Health Experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer.

People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.

"We found skinny people run the highest risk," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Medicine who worked on the long-term study of middle-aged and elderly people.

"There had been an argument that thin people's lives are short because many of them are sick or smoke. But the difference was almost unchanged even when we eliminated these factors," Kuriyama said.

Main reasons for the shorter lifespans of skinny people were believed to include their heightened vulnerability to diseases such as pneumonia and the fragility of their blood vessels, he said.
But Kuriyama warned he was not recommending people eat as much as they want.

"It's better that thin people try to gain normal weight, but we doubt it's good for people of normal physique to put on more fat," he said.

The Low Down on Condiments and Sauces

Summer is here. Time to do the drill and grill!

What sauces and condiments should you avoid & which ones are OK?

Choose condiments with no added sugars or unhealthy trans fats. Ketchup, for example, is loaded with sugar, as are some salsas and steak sauces. Always read labels carefully, and select only those products made with good fats, like extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil, and no added sugars.

Enjoy:
Mustard
Horseradish and horseradish sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Pesto
Vinegars
Sour cream (fat-free, reduced-fat, or light versions), limit to 2 tablespoons
Cream cheese (fat-free, reduced-fat or light), limit to 2 tablespoons
Sugar-free jams and jellies
Sugar-free syrups

Enjoy but choose products made without added sugars.
Miso, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Salsa
Shoyu, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Soy sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Steak sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Taco sauce, limit to 1 tablespoon
Tamari, limit to 1 tablespoon
Mayonnaise (choose a regular full-fat variety and limit to 1 tablespoon or a low-fat variety and limit to 2 tablespoons)
Worcestershire sauce (limit to 1 tablespoon )

Avoid:
Barbecue sauce
Ketchup
Cocktail sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Honey mustard
Regular jellies and jams
Regular maple syrup

Work-site Fitness Programs on the Rise

Work-site health promotion

With the recession still lurking, many companies have cut costs. However, companies are not eliminating their work-site health and fitness programs to save costs. As the President of N2SHAPE, Inc., I have received more inquiries for onsite health and fitness programs in the past six months than ever before.

The cost of health care is constantly increasing, and the health promotion programs are expected to have a beneficial effect on the morale of the employee, to provide some offset to reductions in benefits, and to provide a way to improve productivity.

Individual, optimal programs should be developed for each company, as no one program meets all situations.

Diet Myths That Work

The Keynote speaker at the Club Industry Conference and Exposition was Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC News Chief Medical Editor. She has just written a book called, "Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat." She herself has lost over 50 lbs and kept it off so she speaks from experience and not just knowledge as a medical doctor.

Here are some myths or ideas that I picked up from her talk and book that are effective:

1. Meal Replacement Products can help you lose weight. Examples: Protein shakes and prepackaged meals such as Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice, and Lean Cuisine that make calorie-controlled entrees.
2. Diets Work. You can lose weight folllowing any diet on the bookstore shelf. The problem is that unless the diet fites your lifestyle, it's bound to fail. You want a diet that you can live with. For instance, if you like sandwiches for lunch, you will not be able to stick to a low-carb diet. Choose the diet that fits you.
3. Fast Foods can be a healthy choice for dieters. Fast food companies publish the nutrient information and calories for all their menu items. Choices include grilled items and salads. Choose them instead of fried foods and go easy on the dressing.
4. The less fat that you eat, the less fat you'll want. Your desire for the taste of fat can vanish. It takes a few weeks, but you can retrain your tastes to prefer the lighter versions and save yourself calories.

I would love to share more with you but you can have it all by either picking up a copy of her book, "Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat" or come train with me or take one of my classes or group sessions. I will be sharing the information that I learned from her as well as this conference.

Why is my Cholesterol Going Up?

This past week, I had several clients that bring up the fact that their cholesterol level was going up. Here is one of their questions and my answer:

Question:

I have not changed anything in my diet in the past 6 months except for adding whey protein which has 30 mg of cholesterol in one scoop. I just went to the doctor and he said that my cholesterol is up. Is it going up because of the cholesterol in the whey protein?

Answer:

Your cholesterol is more affected by the amount of saturated fat that you eat and not the amount of cholesterol that you ingest. Certainly, if you ingest too much cholesterol it could go up. However, whey protein has little to no saturated fat in it so the likelihood that it is contributing to your increase in cholesterol is little to none.

My suggestion is to ask yourself the following:

1. Have you decreased the amount of your aerobic activity?
2. Are you eating more saturated fats (the main cause of high blood cholesterol levels)?
3. Has your body fat increased?

If you answered yes to any one of these, I would recommend that you reduce your body fat by increasing your aerobic activity, decrease your saturated fats, and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Ellen's Group Exercise Schedule

Ellen’s Group Exercise Schedule

Mon, May 18 to Sun, May 24
in Tysons Corner

Mon 6:15 am Spinning; Mon 7:00 am Abs and More
Mon 5:30 pm Group Training
Tues 6:30 am Group Training Boot Camp
Tues 9:15 am Group Training
Wed 6:15 am Spinning
Wed 11:00 am Group Training – Trekking
Thurs 9:00 am Spinning
Thurs 5:30 pm Group Training
Fri 6:30 am Spinning
Sat 8:00 am Boot Camp
Sat 9:45 am Group Training
Sun 9:30 am Spininng (Ellen will be subbing)
Mon 9:30 am – Memorial Day – Boot Camp with Ellen