Wellness Works!

Healthy Breakfast in Under a Minute!

Hello Healthy Readers!

 Just wanted to let you know about a fabulous new product by Quaker. We all know (or should know!) Oatmeal is a healthy, hearty breakfast that 'sticks to your ribs' -- and now its even healthier! Quaker now has 100% Whole Grain Oats Packets. So its fast, healthy eating on the go! Grab a packet and go - make it at work and you've got a whole grain breakfast!

But be warned, this is not for the faint of heart - there is no 'peaches and cream' or similar flavouring - its just good ol' whole grain oats. period. However, that being said - that gives you endless options to make your oatmeal dance!

Personally, I enjoy adding fresh fruits (ie. berries and/or sliced banana) and slivered almonds. Or you can try sliced apples, raisins or dried cranberries with sunflower seeds. Add a little low-fat milk for even more umph! (and protein). If its still not sweet enough, add a few drops of agave nectar or stevia, or even 1 tsp turbinado sugar. 

No matter how you top it - this whole grain oats on the go is a hit!

Top 5 Exercises at the Gym

This week I was putting together a workout program for a patient and it got me thinking about efficiency and effectiveness at the gym. Sure there are so many exercises (weight training) that one can do for each muscle group - but often times, people don't have the time (or motivation) to train each muscle group separately. Well, good news! There are exercises that work multiple muscles at once - in effect, more bang for your buck at the gym. I thought I'd share my Top 5 Compound Exercises with you - they are the secret to calorie-burning in the gym and once you leave too! That's the beauty of strength training in general (ladies, don't be afraid of weights - they are your friend!) as opposed to cardio where what you burn is what you burn (ie. 300 cal in 30min), strength training burns calories while you are performing the exercise (and there are MANY ways to increase that caloric burn - ie. no rest, supersetting, circuit training etc.) AND because you are building muscle, those muscle fibres will burn more calories at rest (read: when you are sleeping!) vs. fat cells! Woo-hoo! That is why I strongly recommend strength training for EVERYONE -- the benefits are numerous, including weight-loss, prevention of osteoporosis, stress relief, increased self-confidence ... I could go on...

In particular, compound exercises are great for many reasons, including:

• means more calories burned during exercise.
• simulates real-world exercises and activities.
• allows you to get a full body workout faster.
• improves coordination, reaction time and balance.
• improves joint stability and improves muscle balance across a joint.
• decreases the risk of injury during sports.
• keeps your heart rate up and provides cardiovascular benefits.
• allows you to exercise longer with less muscle fatigue.
• allows you to lift heavier loads and build more strength.

Now, here are the top 5 Compound Exercises I love. (Please always check with a health professional and/or personal trainer to ensure you are able to perform these exercises AND that you are performing them correctly). Also, if you are unsure how to do these, there are many sites that provide videos or pictures on each exercise. (ie. www.top10workouts.com)

Lower Body:

 1. Squat (using dumbells, Smith Machine or just your own body weight. You can increase difficulty by squatting for 3 seconds, hold for 1 second and then back up slowly for 3 seconds)

2. Lunge (many variations - ie. standing lunges with dumbells or walking lunges)

3. Deadlift (great for hamstrings, gluts and low back - but form is key. Avoid with low back pain)

Upper Body:

4. Push-up (many variations, all good. I personally like the dumbell push-up to save your wrists. For   women, yes there is the modified version with your knees on the ground, but eventually try to do the standard push-up with only feet on the floor)

5. Pull-down (Lat pull-down machine is a great one)

Hope you can add these to your next workout and remember all the great benefits you'll be getting by doing compound exercises! 

Healthy Granola Muffins!

 Hello readers! I tried this recipe last week and loved it! (Courtesy of Natural Health Magazine) - wanted to share it with you all - its a fast, healthy breakfast that you can take to go! Tell me what you think -- email me at [email protected]!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup roughly chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons flaxseed, ground
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup dried blueberries
¼ cup roughly chopped dried cherries (optional)
¼ teaspoons salt
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Muffin paper cups

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2. Line muffin tin with paper cups.

3. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, and almonds on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl.

4. Reduce heat to 325˚F.

5. Add peanuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, ground ginger, dried fruit, and salt to the oat mixture. Stir to combine.

6. In a small bowl whisk the maple syrup, canola oil, and vanilla extract together. Add to oat mixture and stir to combine.

7. Fill each muffin cup to the top and press down with the back of a spoon to compress the mixture.

8. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until slightly brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from muffin tin. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutritional Information, per serving: 

228 calories, 11 g fat (1 g saturated), 26 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 4 g fiber, 52 mg sodium

Easy, Healthy Snacks!

About once a day I get asked by a patient "But What Should I Eat??" - That question is almost always about snacks.

We are all busy which makes snacktime one of the easiest times to fall into the 'convenience grab' - at the vending machine, in a drive-thru... you get the picture. But if you stock up on some of these items below, you can toss them into your bag in the morning and they will be waiting for you mid-morning and mid-afternoon - when you need a boost of energy the most!

So, to help everyone, here are a few quick, easy and low-cal snacks (approx 150 calories each -- not that calories are a gold standard by any means, but gives you an easy guideline):

 - 1/4 cup low-fat granola with 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips

- 1 slice whole-grain toast with Nutella (my personal fave!)

- 1/4 cup trail mix/dried fruit (beats snacking on candy!)

- 1 ounce cubed mozzarella (read: 1 oz = small!) with 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half, 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped and 1 tbsp balsalmic vinaigrette

- 1 small apple and 2 tablespoons of hummus with one serving of whole grain crackers

- Grande (if you must!) Starbucks Mocha Light Frappuccino  

- 1 cup skim chocolate milk (better than pop any day!)

- 1 biscotti with a small with steamed skim milk

These are also great snacks to add into your kids lunchbox and will make mornings more zen! 

Happy Snacking!

Dr. Shamira

www.artofwellness.ca 

Women, Food & God - The Trifecta!

Hello readers! Speaking of reading, I am an avid book lover - usually finishing a book a week sometimes! In particular, I tend to gravitate towards health/wellness/growth books (can you tell I love what I do? I'm always reading about Wellness - body, mind & spirit!)

 That being said, I wanted to blog about perhaps one of my favourite books on emotional eating and ending the struggle when it comes to dieting, our weight and everything else that surrounds food. The book is called "Women, Food & God" by Geneen Roth. You may have heard of her or this book because she was recently on Oprah. I love Geneen's work - she has been doing this for over three decades and her message is consistent and true. I would say this is a MUST read for anyone who has ever struggled with weight, compulsive/emotional eating and overall searching for something and looking at food as the solution. 

But the thing is, its not about food - it never is. But, as Geneen points out, using your relationship with food as a doorway to what's really eating you is the path to freedom. Its such a great read - I think everyone should read it! I use this approach very often with my patients - we all know what is healthy vs. unhealthy food for the most part, that we should exercise, drink water etc etc.. but the real question is what our beliefs are about life, living, the world and how that is acted out in our relationship to food. Truly an eye-opener. 

For me, this book has brought me much insight into how I can approach patients who 'just want to lose x   pounds' to hopefully become more loving, understanding and nurturing with themselves. Then the weight just falls off - it always does.

So here are a few quotes from the book which I hope will spark something within you:

"Our relationship to food is an exact microcosm of our relationship to life itself. I believe we are walking, talking expressions of our deepest convictions; everything we believe about love, fear, transformation and God is revealed in how, when and what we eat. When we inhale the Reese's peanut butter cups when we are not hungry, we are acting out an entire world of hope or hopelessness, of faith or doubt, of love or fear. If we are interested in finding out what we actually believe -- not what we think, not what we say, but what our souls are convinced is the bottom-line truth about life and afterlife -- we need to go further than the food on our plates."

"Trying hard and then harder to lose that last twenty, fifty, eighty pounds - and never being able to do it...they are like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain and almost getting there but never actually arriving....You always have something to do. As long as you're striving and pushing and trying hard to do something... you know who you are: someone with a weight problem who is working hard to be thin. You don't have to feel lost or hopeless because you always have a goal and that goal can never be reached."

If this sounds like you, read this book. And start the journey towards breaking free.

Wellness Always,

Dr. Shamira

www.artofwellness.ca