Tuesday, December 21, 2010

EAT SMART THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

With the holiday season, it’s easy to over indulge in all the delicious food.

Here’s some smart eating tips:

Aim for 5 or 6 evenly spaced meals a day. This isn’t just for the holidays. Not only is this the best way to burn fat but helps to maintain muscle.

Eat a good portion of vegetables and stay away from the processed foods, white bread & pasta.

Limit the booze. Alcohol intake can quickly add hundreds of calories. Try and cut back on those special drinks and sodas (regular or diet). You’d have to do 2,100 Jumping jacks just to burn off one 8 oz glass of eggnog – that’s 35 minutes worth!

Drink water. Drinking a glass just before the big meal will help to curb your appetite. Besides, water optimizes kidney function and maintains skin and heart health.

Wait a good 20 minutes before going for a second helping. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to realize that the stomach is full.

Remember – all things in MODERATION. If your Aunt keeps hounding you to grab seconds – politely decline. Offer to take a goody bag home instead.

Eating is contagious so hang out with talkers rather than eaters. You'd have to jog for 5 miles to burn off one quiche or fried pork dumpling!

Weight loss doesn’t come in a bottle so don’t rely on over-the-counter weight-loss supplements – they do NOT work. Your wallet/purse is already drained so don’t waste your money!

Stick with your exercise program. Don’t fall into a rut. This is a good time to take a bit of time off so you don’t overtrain. If you been procrastinating, it’s time to start a fitness plan.

The point of holiday gatherings is to celebrate good food and memorable times. Mingle with friends and loved ones instead of pigging out. If you do overdo it, don’t stress. Try and catch up on your sleep, go get a massage, go for a skate or ski.

This is a special time of the year. Enjoy it with your friends and family.

Wishing you all the best this Holiday Season!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thanks for attending MDJJ Bowling Nite!


Thanks to everyone who attended Minh Duc Jiu Jitsu's Bowling Nite on Saturday December 4th.
It was a blast!

A special thank-you to Special Agents #1 and #2 for all their help!

fyi: Monday Jiu Jitsu classes starts at 6:30pm at the Chinese Cultural Centre.
Hope to see you there!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Lest We Forget - Remembrance Day

Take the time this November 11th to join in a Remembrance Day ceremony. Many young men & women died so that you and your family could live in freedom. The least we could do is brave the weather for an hour to commemorate the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In honor of Remembrance Day, there will be no Bootcamp that day.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Your Brain and Exercise

With a new school year upon us, homework, school activities, computer and alone time seem to take precedent. With 16% of school children now classified as overweight, regular exercise is more important than ever. It’s surprising that current guidelines recommend that children engage in at least 1 hour of physical activity daily but only 6% to 8% of primary and secondary schools provide daily physical education (PE).

Did you know that;

- Fewer than one in four students gets at least 30 minutes of daily exercise?

- School-age kids and teens spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games?

Yikes! I’d like to share with you an interesting article that the CBC news (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) put out about a High School in Saskatoon that put treadmills and exercise bikes into a math classroom. Students did 20 minutes of cardio before class.

An interesting point is that this school is for those with learning difficulties, with over half the students having ADHD. They couldn't sit still, many had behavioral problems, and couldn't learn. With the cardio equipment in the classroom, most of the kids had jumped a full grade in reading, writing and math in one semester. Plus their attention span increased from 10 minutes to 3 hours!

The exercise altered their brain chemistry enough to make learning possible, AND it greatly improved their behavior. Exercise is food for the brain,” says Dr. John Ratey of Harvard University. Studies show that exercise builds new brain cells in the part of the brain that helps with memory and learning, he added.

If you want to hear more about the CBC report on exercise and the Saskatoon school’s pilot project click here Brain gains.

As a teenager, many students are overworked at school and overstressed at home. They engross their spare time on facebook, television and video games. Encouraging exercise helps to overcome the stress of growing up and adds energy, confidence and makes you feel good.

Exercise is just one part of maintaining a healthy body weight and a fit mind. Nutrition plays an important part. Did you know that certain foods help your grey matter? Eating fish helps prevent stroke. Eating steak helps to reduce brain shrinkage. Blueberries helps shield your brain from stress. And kids of all ages should stay away from diet soda – the aspartame is linked to headaches – which may increase migraines and have no nutritional value.

The best results come from a long-term strategy involving a permanent change in both eating and activity habits. It is important to make physical activity a priority for both you and you children. The more active the exercise the better. The human body was meant to move and physical activity should be part of your life.

Strive for an overall plan to increase your health, fitness, well-being and quality of life. Creating an exercise habit starts with you!

8th Annual Dougy Golf Tourney Thank you!

I’d like to thank everyone who helped support the 8th Annual Dougy Golf Tournament for the ALS Society of Manitoba on Saturday.

Winning team: Brian, Wayne, Dylan, Chad.
Closest to pin hole#3: Rod
Longest Drive hole #4: Tara
Putting Contest: Steve
50/50 draw winner: Wayne

A special thanks to the prize sponsors: BDO Chartered Accountants, Canada Post, RCS Insurance, Horizon Leipsic Insurance, Instabox, MediVan, Oreck Canada, Ceva Logistics, Purolator Courier, Sameday Courier, and Royal Bank of Canada,