June Newsletter Released

Costanza gives the June newsletter a thumbs up. Let me know what you think:
http://www.pcconditioning.com/newsletters/2008Jun.pdf

Daily sun exposure

According to James Dowd, DMD, associate clinical professor of medicine at Michigan State University and author of "The Vitamin D Cure," exposing your skin to the sunlight 10 minutes a day 3x/week may make you healthier. Try to avoid mid-day sun, however. A quick walk without sunblock (except on your face and neck) will prompt your body to produce essential Vitamin D.

Proper amounts of Vitamin D help prevent breast, lung, and colon cancer. Deficiencies in Vitamin D are correlated with obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Enjoy the rays!

Two funny video clips

Click the PLAY arrow on each clip:

Post # 200: Turkey Burgers from Oprah!

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill
From the show Oprah's Top Picks for Summer
Serves 6



Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. "I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world," she says. The Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger will be permanently available at the Trump Bar and Grille in Trump Tower in New York City, open to the public for lunch and dinner. It will also be served during lunch in Chicago at Sixteen, the Trump International Hotel restaurant.


INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

Conspiracy Theory?

Advocation of barefoot training continues

Check it out here:

http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

Nutrition Education for Inmates

Even while in customdy, these inmates receive sound nutrition advice. Check out this week's article from the Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/19/inmates_shape_up_for_their_release/

Teen Exercise May Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Courtesy of today's Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON - New research shows that exercise during the teen years - starting as young as age 12 - can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown.

more stories like thisMiddle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause and now it appears that starting young pays off, too.

"This really points to the benefit of sustained physical activity from adolescence through the adult years, to get the maximum benefit," said Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the study's lead author.

Researchers tracked nearly 65,000 nurses ages 24 to 42 who enrolled in a major health study. They answered detailed questionnaires about their physical activity dating back to age 12. Within six years of enrolling, 550 were diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause. A quarter of all breast cancer is diagnosed at these younger ages, when it is typically more aggressive.

Women who were physically active as teens and young adults were 23 percent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than women who grew up sedentary, researchers reported today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The biggest impact was regular exercise from ages 12 to 22.

"This is not the extreme athlete," Colditz cautioned.

The women at lowest risk reported doing 3 hours and 15 minutes of running or other vigorous activity a week - or, for the less athletic, 13 hours a week of walking. Typically, the teens reported more strenuous exercise, while during adulthood, walking was most common.

Why would it help? A big point of exercise in middle age and beyond is to keep off the pounds. After menopause, fat tissue is a chief source of estrogen. In youth, however, the theory is that physical activity itself lowers estrogen levels. Studies of teen athletes show that very intense exercise can delay onset of menstrual cycles and cause irregular periods.

The moderate exercise reported in this study was nowhere near enough for those big changes. But it probably was enough to cause slight yet still helpful hormone changes, said Dr. Alpa Patel, a cancer prevention specialist at the American Cancer Society, who praised the new research.

Worthy of a re-post

I posted this a while back and it's so powerful it's worthy of re-posting:

New article published

I'm happy to announce an article I recently wrote has published in today's Watertown Tab. The direct link for the article as follows:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/news/lifestyle/columnists/x1180658770/Connolly-Ten-foods-for-good-health

Fall Prevention

Good article in today's Health/Science section of the Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2008/05/05/before_the_fall/

May Updates

May's newsletter has just been released. Check it out here:

http://www.pcconditioning.com/newsletters/2008May.pdf

All about soda

http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/soft-drinks.shtml

What if no one were fat?

Very interesting article from today's MSN Money:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/Advice/WhatIfNoOneWereFat.aspx

Control Your Cravings

Great article from Amanda Carlson here:

http://www.coreperformance.com/article.php?p=2&s=1&id=784

Fantastic cover

Let me know what you think. I love this version:

Diary of a Celiac

Good article in today's Globe:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/04/23/diary_of_a_celiac/

Your NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Body Composition

According to the Diabetes Monitor, body composition is defined as the ratio of lean body mass (structural and functional elements in cells, body water, muscle, bone, heart, liver, kidneys, etc.) to body fat (essential and storage) mass. Essential fat is necessary for normal physiological functioning (e.g., nerve conduction). Storage fat constitutes the body's fat reserves, the part that people try to lose.

Here are general body-fat recommendations from the American Council on Exercise:

General Body Fat Percentage Categories
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus

Frozen versus Fresh

A client recently inquired as to the benefits of frozen fruits and veggies versus fresh. Here's a nice breakdown:


Any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables. For peak flavor and good value, fresh produce in season is always a good choice. But frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, without added salt or sugar, are just as good for you as fresh. Here are some easy ways to sneak more fresh and frozen fruits and veggies into your diet:

-Buy many kinds of fruits and vegetables when you shop. Buy frozen and dried, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables
-Experiment with new types of fruits and veggies
-Keep a fruit bowl, raisins or other dried fruit on the kitchen counter and in the office
-Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables on the top shelf of the refrigerator for snacking
-Add fruit to breakfast by having fruit on cereal
-Choose fruit for dessert and use frozen fruits for smoothies
-Add fruits and vegetables to lunch by adding them in soup, salads, or cut-up raw
-Add extra varieties of frozen vegetables when you prepare soups, sauces, and casseroles


One other note worth mentioning: choose as many different COLORS as possible, as each color represents a specific nutrient that benefits your overrall health.