H E A L T H I N F O R M A T I O N P R E S E N T E D A S I F Y O U R L I F E D E P E N D E D O N I T

A Publication Of The Wellness

Council Of America

H E A L T H I N F O R M A T I O N P R E S E N T E D A S I F Y O U R L I F E D E P E N D E D O N I T

What Makes For A Successful Commitment? Every year, millions of adults promise to better themselves in one way or another—and fail miserably. So what gives? Some research has found that indi-viduals who fail or give up on their resolutions tend to:

• Focus on the downside of not achieving their goals

• Suppress cravings

• Rely on willpower alone

On the other hand, those who stick to their resolutions tend to:

• Break their large goals into small steps and create small changes that add up over time

• Celebrate their milestones

• Share their goals with friends

• Focus on the benefits of suc-cess (i.e., how their resolution would improve the quality of their life)

• Keep a diary of their progress

When it comes to resolutions, it’s safe to say that creating a realistic plan and remaining positive are critical to success. Be sure to keep a tight focus on these strategies as you work toward your goals.

To Stick With

We all seem to go into the New Year with the best of intentions when it comes to incorporating more physical activity into our lives. However, by the time February rolls around, many of us simply lose our motivation and slip back into our old ways. According to one study led by psychologists at the University of Hertfordshire, only 22 percent of us manage to keep our New Year’s resolutions. This year—don’t let your goals get away from you!

Here are five great tips to help you remain committed to your fitness goals.

1. Schedule workout appointments. Schedule your workouts just as you do with meetings, doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. Penciling in a few 15 minute walks or weight-lifting sessions can certainly do the trick.

2. Determine the goals that are important to you. Do you want to lose five pounds? Run a 5K? Don’t get discouraged if others around you are bragging about the marathon they just ran or the amount of time they spend in the gym—focus on your goals.

3. Seek support to stay motivated. Surround yourself with encouraging people who motivate you to remain active. Better yet, find a workout buddy.

4. Stick with the workouts you like. If you want to stick to your exercise routine, it’s essential to find an activity you like.

5. Track your fitness progress. Seeing incremental improvements can boost your exercise motivation and commitment—whether it's in improved time, increased reps, weight lost, or greater frequency of workouts.

FitnessResolution

5 Ways

Your

health | self-care | work & family | lifestyle | exercise

Healthy Recipe ..................... 2

Nutrition .................................... 3

Fitness Myths Debunked ............................4-5

Self-Care ..................................... 6

Healthy Lifestyles .............. 7

VOL. 14 | NO. 11 JANUARY 2013

Make-Your-Own

A H E A L T H Y R E C I P E B Y R I C H A R D C O L L I N S , M D

PreparationPlace onion and garlic in food processor, process until fine. Add 1/2 of the black beans. Process until beans are of a mashed consistency. Place in a medium mixing bowl. Add remaining beans, spices, breadcrumbs and egg substitute. Mix thoroughly. If too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Shape into four patties, packed firmly. Spray a large fry pan. Sauté on medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Lower heat to warm throughout. Serve with your favorite topping. The bean patties may be frozen in a tightly sealed bag. Browning the burger before freezing will allow the beans to firm up for later use on the outdoor grill.

Ingredients1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 14-oz. can no-salt black beans, drained

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (omit for plain burger)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup egg substitute

4 whole-wheat burger buns

Optional: For a Southwest flavor: add 1/2 cup chopped green peppers and 1/2 cup thick salsa. Increase breadcrumbs by another 1/2 cup to adjust consistency.

Ingredients2 cups assorted mushrooms, chopped1 small bouquet garni (parsley stems, 1

bay leaf, 1 sprig fresh thyme and 6 black peppercorns wrapped in cheesecloth and tied securely

1/4 cup lite soy sauce4 cups bottled spring water3 Tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate3 large onions, thinly sliced4 small slices French bread, crusts removed

to fit ramekin and toasted4 1-oz. slices low-fat Swiss cheese

PreparationIn a medium 4-quart saucepan, add mushrooms, bouquet garni, soy sauce and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve broth. Set aside. In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, add frozen apple juice, onions, and sauté until brown. Add strained mushroom broth. Heat and place in four individual ramekins. Add bread and top with slice of cheese. Place under broiler for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

ServingsNumber of servings: 4, Serving size: 1/4 of recipe (202g)

Nutritional Analysis For One ServingCalories 212, Calories From Fat 24, Total Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 799mg, Total Carbohydrate 34g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 13g, Protein 14g

French Onion Soup

make-your-own veggie burger

ServingsNumber of Servings: 4, Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (166g)

Nutritional Analysis For One ServingCalories 276, Calories From Fat 30, Total Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 259mg, Total Carbohydrate 48g, Dietary Fiber 11g, Sugars 4g, Protein 15g

Burger

HeALTHY ReCiPes

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about Richard Collins md

Dr. Richard Collins, a leading authority and speaker on the prevention and reversal of heart disease, emphasizes the connection between eating well and living long. His delicious low-fat recipes have been shared with millions through his cookbook, videos, and his nationally-renowned cooking seminars. For more information, visit Dr. Collins’ website at www.thecookingcardiologist.com.

Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, you can certainly benefit from the high fiber, low fat and rich nutrients of a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian meals focus on fruits and vegetables, dried beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts, and there’s a huge consensus that eating more of these foods is a good idea for practically everyone.

According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers have found that the closer people are to being vegetarian, the lower their risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a condition that raises your risk for heart disease and stroke). Of course, most Americans don’t eat enough fruit, vegetables, legumes or whole grains. If you don't count potatoes—which should be considered a starch rather than a vegetable—the average American gets a total of just three servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

If incorporating a more plant-based diet is a challenge for you, try these simple strategies:

Buy ready-to-eat produce. If washing, cutting and preparing veggies seems like a hassle, consider canned, frozen or pre-cut fruits and veggies.

Add fruit or veggies to every meal. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, make sure you have at least one fruit or vegetable as a side. Have a piece of fruit with your cereal, and try a side salad or steamed veggies with lunch or dinner.

Aim to eat two vegetable-based meals every week. You have several wonderful options to choose from, like veggie pizza, chili, soup and wraps!

Veg Out!The Benefits Of Plant-Based Diets Get Your Protein From Plants!

Experts agree that vegetarians who eat a wide variety of foods can readily meet all of their body’s needs for nutrients—including protein, iron and calcium (which are commonly found in meats and poultry).

Here are some plant-based foods that are rich in protein and other key vitamins and minerals.

Legumes: Beans and peas are excellent sources of protein. Good choices include soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans and black-eyed peas.

Whole grains: A diet rich in whole grains can help you meet protein recommendations. Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, quinoa and whole wheat pasta are great sources of whole grains.

Nuts and seeds: Peanuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds all contain protein.

If you are thinkingabout becoming a vegetarian it's usually a good idea to seek

the advice of a dietician. You can ask in your local grocery store or simply do a web search to find local dieticians.

NUTRiTiON

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Here’s the simple truth: myths about fitness can be found practically everywhere you turn—from magazine ads to infomercials to your well-intentioned, albeit misinformed friend at the gym. The promise and intrigue of some of these fitness myths may motivate you to begin exercising, but unfortunately these myths can also quickly lead to frustration, unhealthy habits and even injury.

It’s important that you know the truth behind common myths so that you don’t risk injury or get discouraged and quit your exercise program. Here’s the truth behind some of the most common fitness myths around.

The Myth: You can quickly reduce “problem spots” by targeting those areas. There are many fitness products and people that will tell you that you can reduce abdominal, arm or thigh fat by targeting those muscles. If you don’t like where the fat is on your body, just exercise the muscles underneath the fat that you want to reduce—and voila! You will have a flat belly, toned thighs and cut arms in no time, right?

The Truth: You can’t pick and choose the areas where you’d like to burn fat. While targeting certain areas like your abs and thighs may strengthen those muscles, you must first lose the fat covering those muscles to see the tone and definition you seek. In order to burn fat, you should focus on regular cardiovascular and strength-training physical activity.

DebunkedFitnessMyths

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The Myth: You can rapidly lose weight and keep it off for a long period of time. Just take a certain supplement or follow a specific meal or fitness plan, and the pounds will quickly melt away.

The Truth: You can certainly quickly lose weight with something drastic (although often unhealthy) like weight loss pills, or drastic meal or fitness plans. However, these measures are usually unsustainable. And so the moment you stop the rapid weight loss plan is the moment you begin to gain that weight back. Hundreds and hundreds of studies have been conducted on this; there is no such thing as rapid fat loss that is long lasting. And there’s no such thing as rapid fat loss that will lead to maintenance of fat loss.

The Myth: Aerobic exercise is not necessary. There are some people and products out there that give people the idea that they don’t need aerobic exercise (sustained physical activity like a walk or jog) to be healthy and to realize weight loss.

The Truth: Cardiovascular exercise is a critically important component in maintaining and enhancing your fitness and overall health. Regular aerobic activity has been shown to reduce your risk for a variety of diseases. It’s absolutely necessary.

The Myth: You can turn your body into a fat-burning machine. The phrase “fat-burning machine” is commonly used for fitness equipment, fitness systems, DVDs, supplements, etc. You can essentially turn your body into “fat burning” machine by taking a certain pill or by adding muscle mass.

The Truth: You can indeed increase muscle mass with physical activity—that’s true and that can happen. And it’s also true that lean body mass is more metabolically active than fat mass. In other words, a lean individual will burn more calories than an overweight individual because of the characteristics of lean tissue. But, the notion that you can turn your body into a fat-burning machine is very misleading. Research tells us that if you gain two to four pounds of lean body mass, you can help prevent weight gain in the future, and you may increase your metabolic rate by about 10 to 40 calories per day. That’s great news, but it’s not turning you into a fat-burning machine!

DebunkedPhysical activity is anything that gets your body moving. it’s recommended that you do two types of physical activity each week to improve your health: aerobic and muscle-strengthening.

Here are the current physical activity guidelines for most adults:

What Constitutes Exercise…And How Much Do We Need?Myths

AND

AEROBIC ACTIVITY:

150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week

75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week.

Or an equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.

OR

MUSCLE-STRENGTHENING ACTIVITIES:

in addition to aerobic activity, you should perform muscle-strengthening activities (i.e. weight training) that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on two or more days a week.

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EyesHow To Save Your SightIf your last eye exam was in grade school or before you got your driver’s license, you’re long overdue. According to the American Optometric Association, even if you have perfect vision it’s still a good idea to have your eyes examined every two years if you’re under 60 and annually if you’re over 60.

See The Importance, Get CheckedRegular eye exams help your doctor find eye problems early, when they can be easily treated. In fact, there are eye diseases (some that can even cause blindness) that can develop without symptoms, and can only be identified during an eye exam. This should be enough for you to schedule your eye exam right now!

When you get a comprehensive eye exam, you can expect that your eye doctor will:

✓ Place drops in your eyes to enlarge (or dilate) your pupils (A dilated eye exam is the only way to find some types of eye disease, such as glaucoma.)

✓ Evaluate for the presence of nearsightedness and farsightedness

✓ Evaluate your eyes' ability to work together as a team

✓ Test your vision for acuity—you’ll read letters on a chart to test how clearly you can see

✓ Review your personal and family health history and any history of eye problems

If you have health insurance, study your policy closely as plan coverage varies. Some insurance plans will cover one routine eye exam every two years, while other plans will make you purchase a separate vision policy to cover routine eye exams. Generally, without insurance, eye exam costs can range from less than $50 (usually at a retail optical chain) to $100 or more (usually at a medical clinic or private eye doctor's office).

Easy On The

Did You Know?

Glaucoma is the second

leading cause of blindness in the

U.S. The disease develops slowly

and usually with no symptoms—

and it can only be identified

by an eye doctor.

seLF-CARe

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It's Never

You already know that sunscreen can help prevent painful sunburn, decrease your risk for skin cancer and keep your skin smoother, healthier and younger-looking over time. Yet, what many people don’t know (or don’t think of) is that sunscreen is absolutely necessary year-round—not just on sunny days at the beach or pool.

The sun's UVA rays penetrate the skin deeply and are present with relatively equal intensity during all daylight hours (even on cloudy days) throughout the year. The sun also emits UVB rays, which are the primary cause of sunburn (if skin is not protected). Although UVB rays tend to be stronger during the hot days of summer, they are capable of causing sunburn any time of year. In fact, UVB rays can be up to 80 percent stronger when reflected—so if you’re outside skiing, sledding or around glass buildings it can certainly lead to sunburn, even in freezing temperatures.

The bottom line is: When it comes to protecting your skin and reducing your risk for skin cancer, treat every day like a hot, sunny day. Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher on all exposed skin—every day. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, reapply your sunscreen every few hours. It’s simply the best way to protect your skin from harmful damage, no matter what time of year.

For Sunscreen!

Here are some simple tips the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends to help keep your skin safe, healthy and glowing year-round:

• Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher on all exposed skin every day;

• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths;

• Examine your skin from head to toe every month for moles, unusual blemishes or sores;

• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Too ColdToo Cold

Keep Your Skin Healthy Year-Round

HeALTHY LiFesTYLes

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A Publication Of The Wellness

Council Of America

I N T E R A C T I V E M I N D S

Information is reviewed by a prestigious Medical Advisory Board comprised of physicians and healthcare professionals and is intended to help you make smart health decisions for yourself and your family. Although editorial content is based on sound medical information, we ask that you consult a healthcare professional for all matters of concern. We also encourage you to keep your copies to build a handy home-medical reference or recycle issues to friends and family. ©2013 Wellness Council of America, 17002 Marcy Street, Suite 140, Omaha, NE 68118; phone 402.827.3590; fax 402.827.3594; visit our Web site at www.welcoa.org. All rights reserved. ISSN 1549-9367. Additional Sources: NIH News In Health; CDC.gov. Executive Editor: David Hunnicutt, PhD; Vice President of Operations: Brittanie Leffelman; Director of Marketing: William M. Kizer, Jr.; Director of Communications: Madeline Jahn; Multimedia Designer: Adam Paige; Creative Project Manager: Graden Hudson; Graphic Designer: Brittany Stohl; Contributing Editor: Carie Maguire. Information may not be reproduced, copied, cited, or circulated in any printed or electronic form without written permission from the publisher.

Safe winter DrivingThe cold, windy, wet and icy conditions common with winter (at least in many regions of the U.S.) can make driving scary and dangerous, especially in northern regions that get a lot of snow and ice. Additional preparations can help make a trip safer, or help motorists deal with an emergency.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), you can stay safe on the road this winter simply with a little practice.

Practice Cold Weather DrivingIt sounds silly, but a little practice can be life-saving. Practicing for winter driving can help prepare you for the real deal. Here’s what you can do:

✓ During daylight, practice slow driving maneuvers on the ice or snow in an empty lot;

✓ Steer into a skid to see how your car performs on slick and icy surfaces;

✓ Know what your brakes will do: stomp on antilock brakes or pump on non-antilock brakes;

✓ Take special note on your stopping times. (Remember that stopping distances are longer on water-covered surfaces and ice).

And of course—no matter what the weather is like, or how short or long of a distance you need to drive—always buckle up and use child safety seats properly.

Your Car Emergency ChecklistYou certainly can't predict when an accident or a breakdown will occur, but you can be prepared and better equipped to handle such unfortunate situations. Prepare your car with these emergency supplies:

✓ Windshield scraper

✓ Flashlight (and extra batteries)

✓ Non-perishable snack food

✓ Bottled water

✓ Shovel

✓ Blankets and extra hats, coats, mittens

✓ Booster cables

✓ First aid kit and a basic tool kit

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