FitNews Fridays 01/27/12

The Dirty Dozen for 2012


3 Herbs That Can Detox You From Cancer


CDC Speaks out AGAINST Breastfeeding


Best Food for Healthy Hair

FitNews Fridays 01/20/12

The Scientific Truth About Fat


Take the test, what is your weight management IQ?


Video: Infertility, Organ Failure Allergies, and GMOs


Senator Pushes for GMO labeling in Washington State


Brain food- foods that help improve memory

Recipe Wednesday: Low Fat Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1 (14 ½ oz) box fiber enriched ziti

1 (15oz) container fat free ricotta cheese

2 large egg whites

8 oz (4 cups) finely shredded, reduced fat mozzarella cheese

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Salt

Ground black pepper

Crushed red pepper

3 ½ cups low fat, low sodium, marinara

2 tbsp grated, reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray. Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 cup of sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 ½ cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand five minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon among 8 bowls and serves.

Makes 8 servings. Calories 350; Protein 22g; Carbs 57g; Fat 6g (3g saturated); Cholesterol 20mg; Fiber 8g; Sodium 429mg).

Totally Fit: Massage

Ever wondered why you feel soooooo good after getting a massage? It turns out that massage has a lot of health benefits!

I try to schedule a massage pretty regularly and had no idea that there were this many benefits:

Lungs & Belly

Firm pressure applied to the skin sends nerve signals to your brain telling it to relax. This combats stress by activating your parasympathetic nervous system. You begin to breathe more slowly and deeply. Your digestive system begins to pick up the pace.

Brain

Serotonin production steps up and brain waves move more into their current state:

Morning massage- you’ll become more awake and alert

Evening massage- you'll move closer to a sleeping state pattern. This should help you sleep better at night.

Heart

Your heart rate slows down and your blood pressure may lower by up to 8%!

Glands

Hands, fingers, and firm pressure on your body signal to adrenal glands to cut production of stress related hormones (and belly fat producing) cortisol and vasopressin.

Immunity

Stimulated by the applied pressure your white cells increase activity helping to slay viral, bacterial, and cancerous cells.

Aches and Pains

Massage helps trigger natural pain relief

Who knew massage had this many health benefits?

Source

FitNews Fridays 01/13/12

Vitamin B-12 and folic acid prevent memory loss and improve cognition as we age

Do Calories Really matter?

Re-thinking high intesity cardio

“The effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible,”

Recipe Wednesday: Steamed Zucchini with Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 whole Zucchini or Mexican squash sliced

1 onion sliced in rings

1 ½ tbsp olive oil or butter

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Melt butter in large sauté pan. Add squash and onion to oil and stir. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and Parmesan to taste.

Totally Fit: Marisa Miller

One of my favorite supermodels, Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret model Marisa Miller is a combination of good genes and dedication. Here are some of her diet and exercise tips.

Exercise

As a lover of the outdoors and a true California girl, Miller likes to get her exercise out in the open through surfing and stand up paddling. In fact, Miller is a designer of her own boards - www.surftech.com/marisa. If you live on one of the coasts this can be a great alternative to the gym as it is a full body workout engaging many muscle groups.

Focus in on abs. Known for a fabulous midsection, Miller really zeros in on her obliques- you know those muscles on the side of your abdomen responsible for love handles- by doing bicycles, twisting crunches, and planks.

Diet

What and how you eat is key. If you like the way you look and want to maintain your killer body, consider eating naked as Miller sometimes does- this is a great mental exercise. Also consider prepping healthy and nutritionally balanced meals ahead of time so that you won't be a rush to find something-anything- to eat when hungry. And as always exercise portion control.

For more click here and/or check out this month's edition of Women's Health magazine!