Tai chi is a Chinese martial art, which strengthens body and mind. Besides improving blood sugar levels, it has been shown to improve arthritis and promote weight loss, balance, and strength.

Before beginning a tai chi program, ensure your instructor is well qualified. You may want to do some research first both on the internet and by interviewing local instructors. One website to begin your search is www.taichiproductions.com.

If you already do tai chi or have tried it, what do you think of it? Do you have a DVD, book, or instructor to recommend?

I found coconut water in the health section of Kroger.  You can find coconut milk and coconut juice in the international section of the grocery store.  But remember, these products are not the same things and are higher in sugar (coconut juice) and fat (coconut milk).

If you’ve tried coconut water, what do you think?

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound dry black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
6 cups chicken broth

1. Spray a large pot with nonstick spray and cook vegetables and garlic until tender, about 10 min.
2. Add peas, seasonings, and broth. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered, until peas are tender enough to fall apart and liquid is thickened, about 1 hour. Stir often as peas are cooking to prevent sticking.

Yield: 12 cups
Nutrition: 125 calories per cup

The class will last 10 weeks at Beaumont Health & Fitness.  The special introductory rate is $20 per class.  Class is limited to 10 people and a minimum of 4 people.  Contact me for details or to sign up.

1. Crack 1 egg into a microwaveable 6-oz souffle cup.  Microwave on high for about 1 minute until it is cooked through.

2. Warm 1 small pre-cooked reduced-fat turkey sausage patty (or veggie sausage patty) in the microwave.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon sugar-free maple syrup on the inside of a whole wheat english muffin.

4. Place the sausage patty on the bottom half, top with the egg patty, place a 1/2 oz slice of 2% milk cheddar cheese, and top with the other muffin half.  Enjoy!

What to Eat When You’re Eating Out

At the beginning of the book, Warshaw gives a straight-forward overview of the new USDA’s MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  She then goes on to explain that by making smart and informed choices, you can still eat well and dine out.  She gives practical food selection tips and guidelines when eating out to stay within the USDA’s recommendations.  She even explains nutrition claims on food labels and how to estimate portion sizes.  The first section is a great basic nutrition lesson.

The only drawback is there is not much information from the typical sit-down restaurant.  Warshaw states that this type of restaurant is slow in providing information and urges her readers to request it.

What to Eat When You’re Eating Out is a helpful book if you are the typical busy American who wants to enjoy restaurant fare, but still maintain your weight and manage medical conditions.  This book may be purchased at Amazon.com.

Jumping rope burns a lot of calories, about 660 calories per hour for a 150 pound person.  That beats walking, running, cycling, aerobics, and weight lifting.  As a beginner, chances are you won’t be able to jump for an hour straight, so breaking it up into a few minute segments will be best.  If you’re short on time and want to get some exercise in, try jumping for 5-10 minutes in the morning and another 5-10 minutes in the evening.  Or, between weight lifting sets jump rope for one minute.   Another idea is to throw in a few minutes of jumping while doing housework, working from home, or doing yard work.  You’ll be surprised how quickly the calorie burn adds up.

Jumping rope is a great aerobic exercise, meaning it’s good for your heart and major muscles.  It also strengthens your calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings.  To give your arms a good workout as well, try a weighted rope.  You can jump at your own pace to your favorite music (or t.v. show), or you can follow along while watching a jump rope DVD workout.  If you’re looking for a DVD, Collage Video is a good place to start.

If you’re a beginning exerciser or just looking to change your routine, give jumping rope a try.

Just remember that the serving size for granola is smaller than other cereals because of the added oil and sugar. The serving size is 1/2 cup, which is around 170 calories, compared to Cheerios, with is 100 calories for 3/4 cup.

Granola makes a great breakfast or snack.  I like mine mixed with Yoplait’s Greek vanilla honey yogurt.

Enjoy!

Protein has many essential roles in the body: acts as enzymes in chemical reactions, helps maintain the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance,  maintains the acid-base balance in the body’s fluids, acts as antibodies to protect you from viruses, makes up some hormones, transports nutrients, and last but not least, is used for growth and repair of tissue and muscles.  The body can also use protein for energy when carbohydrates are lacking.  In a healthy, normal state, the body uses about 10-15% of its energy needs from protein.  When someone is dieting (or starving), the body has to break down it’s protein (tissue and muscle) to supply the body with energy (glucose).  This is one role of protein that you want to avoid at all costs.

Your protein needs are based on your weight and activity level.  For the average active adult, 0.5-0.75 g/lb is the recommendation.  For the competitive athlete it is 0.6-0.9 g/lb.  Anyone trying to build muscle can aim for 0.7-0.9 g/lb per day.  Last, if you are trying to lose weight, aim for 0.7-1.0 g/lb.   (Example: 150 lb x 0.9 g=135 g of protein per day.)   Eating enough grams of protein to fulfill your minimum requirement will help build or maintain the muscle you have.  Eating towards the top end of your recommendation will maximize muscle building.

Now, just because some protein is essential, “more is better” does not apply in this case.  Your body can only use a certain amount of protein and the rest is discarded.  The maximum amount of protein your body can use is 1.0 g/lb per day.  Anything you eat above that number is wasted.  This is important to realize especially if you like protein powder.  If you are taking in too much protein, it’s like pouring the powder down the drain.  The body cannot use or even store excess protein, like it does with carbohydrates and fat.

Because your body doesn’t store extra protein, it’s best to space your protein intake evenly throughout the day.  This is not too hard with lunch or dinner, but can be difficult with breakfast.  Especially for people who are trying to lose weight, the studies show that a protein intake of 30-50 g per meal (or mini-meal) is ideal.  Anything under 30 g will not help maintain your muscle mass while cutting calories and anything over 50 g your body cannot use at one time.

Good sources of protein are lean beef and pork, chicken, fish, eggs, low-fat milk and cheese, yogurt, beans, nuts, and soy.  If you can’t get at least 30 g of protein at breakfast with “real” food, using some protein powder will help.  Here’s an example of a 30 g breakfast: 1 cup skim milk (8 g), 1 cup cooked oatmeal (5 g), 1 oz nuts (7 g), 1 banana (1 g), and 2 eggs (12 g).  At lunch and dinner, consuming about 3-4 oz of meat with one serving of dairy or beans will yield at least 30 g of protein.

So, now that you know the truth about protein, take a few minutes to calculate your protein needs.  Then for the next several days write down what you eat and how many grams of protein you are eating.  It will be a great lesson to see if you are within your range.  Good luck!