Summertime Blues

Now that nice weather has arrived in the northern hemisphere, don’t ruin a nice family picnic by eating “risky” foods that can lead to food poisoning. These foods include hamburgers or steaks that are very pink in the middle, raw fresh fish or oysters, raw or unpasteurized milk, alfalfa sprouts and runny eggs. According to research, undercooked eggs are the most commonly eaten risky food. If you enjoy your eggs sunny side up or over easy, buy pasteurized eggs, which have been heated briefly to kill existing bacteria.

Feel the Rhythm

This October, London will host the first-ever Run to the Beat half-marathon. Sounds enjoyable if you can afford the trip, but even if that jaunt is out of your price range, you can learn a lot from the work of the team behind the event, the Music in Sport Research Group. Profiled in-depth in this article from the Guardian (http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2275414,00.html), the group and its leader Dr. Costas Karageorghis have spent nearly two decades researching the links between music and athletic performance. Read the whole article if you have time, but if not, keep these high points in mind:

·          Music can reduce your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) by up to 10 percent.

·          For running and other aerobic activities, upbeat music helps stimulate the parts of the brain associated with movement. This is most beneficial when you choose music with a tempo similar to your planned exercise tempo.

·          The more you like the music you choose, the more likely you will be to enter into a state of “flow,” when the mind and body work in harmony with minimal conscious effort.

·          Not everyone benefits from music during exercise—people who have a strong preference for intense concentration on their workouts won’t perform better by listening to music.

With these findings in mind, DKWIO continues to incorporate music, meditation and interactive learning experiences to reach kids with a broad spectrum of learning styles.

Everybody Jump

If you’re looking for an easy (and cheap) way to add weight-bearing and cardiovascular exercise to your workout, look no further than your kids’ section of the garage.

Jumping rope isn’t just for kids anymore. Just try it, and you’ll realize just how effective this simple exercise can be. All you need is a good jump rope (any sporting goods store will have one) and some comfortable shoes that offer cushion on the balls of the feet. The preferred jump rope will be lightweight and have foam grips, which prevent slippage. Remember to keep your upper body relaxed and to bend your knees!

The Spice of Life

Do you have single-minded dedication to a particular exercise? According to the American Council on Exercise, you could sabotage the possible benefits from your workouts unless you add some variety!

According to ACE, cross training reduces the risk of injury from using the same movements that subject your muscles, bones and joints to repeated stresses. Cross training also makes your workout more interesting. With these factors in mind, consider adding it to your workout repertoire. You might improve your overall fitness, reduce the risk of injury, work muscles differently and, perhaps, work out more frequently or for a longer period.

To cross train, simply alternate between activities—run one morning, bike the next afternoon, go for a swim the next day. You can even set up your own mini-triathlon. Bike five miles, swim for 15 minutes, and then run a mile. It’s all about variety and mixing it up a bit.

Tea Time

Bring on the sun tea! According to a recent article on WebMD, tea may be one of the healthiest things to drink. According to the reputable web site, there is compelling evidence that tea reduces the risk of heart disease and may even prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Even better, you can drink black, green, white or oolong tea for these benefits, as all come from the same tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. Research is telling us that regular tea drinkers—of two cups or more a day—have less heart disease and stroke, lower total and LDL cholesterol and recover from heart attacks faster. There also is evidence to suggest tea can fight ovarian and breast cancers, and may even help reduce stress!

Basic Baked Chicken

Sometimes simple is the best. Try this recipe from Eating Well magazine.

1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
3 sprigs fresh tarragon
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 5-pound chicken, giblets removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·          Preheat oven to 375°F.

·          Place onion, garlic, tarragon and thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen string, mostly closing the cavity opening. Pull the wings so the tips overlap on top of the breast; tie in place, wrapping string around the wings and body. Rub the chicken with oil, salt and pepper. Set in a roasting pan, breast-side down.

·          Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Turn breast-side up and continue roasting, basting occasionally with pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching bone, registers 175°F, or about 75-90 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the string before carving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per 3-oz. serving (without skin): 180 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 64 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 0 g fiber; 300 mg sodium.

Video Game Fitness

The New York Times last week had a comprehensive look at Nintendo’s latest Wii creation: Wii Fit. The hottest video-game system of our time, Nintendo’s Wii has sold more than 25 million units by offering an interactive, physical video game experience. Now, Nintendo is taking the next step by offering an exercise regimen through the Wii system, a small balance board and an animated trainer to help you along the way. Wii Fit offers almost 50 exercises in the categories of strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance games. Reviewed by people in multiple fitness and life stages, the bottom line appears to be that Wii Fit is fun and entertaining, but by no means a complete replacement for the real thing. Check out the review here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/fashion/15fitness.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

Heart Disease and Teens

A recent study released in the journal Circulation demonstrates that the deadly groundwork for heart disease in men begins in their teens. The study of more than 500 Minnesota teens and pre-teens showed that levels of triglycerides—a type of fat associated with heart disease—rose in boys and decreased in girls during teen years, while levels of the HDL good cholesterol went up in girls and down in boys.

According to study co-author Dr. Stephen Daniels, while these findings are important, childhood obesity works as an equally devastating disease, “…our best opportunity to prevent heart disease is to look at children and adolescents and start the preventive process early." By providing your kids with a healthy environment now, and with the tools to make healthy choices later, you give them the gift of long-term health.

High Five

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control offers a great, interactive tool for meal planning. If you are anything like me, with a busy life and hectic schedule, it’s not always easy to include the right amount of fruit and vegetable servings in your daily eating. This great recipe-finder also gives you the ability to custom-generate a fruit and vegetable-friendly cookbook. If you want some help planning a healthy meal or snack, visit http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx.

Spot the Block

The United States Food and Drug Administration and Cartoon Network have teamed up on a campaign to help educate teens and near-teens about nutritional labels and content. The program uses a mixed-media approach to help kids make healthy choices in interpreting the mountain of information buried in nutritional labels. For more information, visit http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/promos/200804_fda/index.html.