HEALTH JIGSAW

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May 2011

The sun is coming up a bit later and setting earlier. Mornings and evenings are getting cooler. The cooler months also bring with it warm and nourishing meal options such as soups, casseroles, stews and curries.

There are many low-fat/healthy recipes on the internet. If you find that you don’t have enough time to cook when you get home from work, spend Sunday afternoon/evening in the kitchen and cook a large batch up, which you can freeze and then re-heat during the week. This may also help you eat the correct portion size. If the recipe is for 6 serves, divide the batch into 6 serves so you don’t over-eat. To get you started, we have the recipe for a lamb and vegetable stew below.

In this month's newsletter:

1. Lamb and vegetables stew.
2. Liquid kilojoules.
3. Correct posture when using laptops.
4. Blogs.
5. Not on Facebook.

 

Lamb and Vegetables Stew

Ingredients 2 teaspoon olive oil 500g lamb (boneless) cut into 3cm chunks 4 red potatoes, unpeeled, coarsely chopped 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut to bite sized chunks 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped 2 leeks rinsed, white and pale green parts coarsely chopped 1 large turnip, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen (150g)

Method

1. Heat olive oil in large flame proof casserole pot over medium heat. Add meat in batch’s and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per a batch .
2. Add the potatos, carrot, onion, leek and turnip to pan. Cook for 10 minutes and stir occasionally.
3. Stir in flour and add 3 cups water, bay leaf, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat.
4. Add meat and simmer, until meat is tender (50-60 minutes). Add beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Source: www.metabolicjumpstart.com (modified from www.allrecipes.com.au)

Serves: 6 – Preparation time : 20 minutes – Cooking time: 90 minutes
Nutrition Information (per serve): 1167 kJ (279 Cal), 21.1g Protein, 10.7g Fat, 4.4g Saturated Fat, 21.4g Carbohydrate, 5.7g Sugars, 6.1g Fibre, 509mg Sodium

 

Liquid Kilojoules

Most people tend to worry about what they eat but it's also what you drink that can add centimeters to your waist, even those that seem healthy like fruit juices. Beverages are probably the biggest hidden source of kilojoules/calories in our diets, especially those that are packed with sugars.

BEVERAGES	SIZE	ENERGY
Coffees Cappuccino (regular) Cappuccino (skim) Espresso (black)	Cup (250ml) Cup (250ml) Cup (250ml)	575 kJ/140 cal 275 kJ/65 cal 5 kJ/5 cal
Soft Drinks/Sports Drinks Coke Coke Zero Diet Coke Gatorade Powerade Red Bull V Energy Drink	Can (375ml) Can (375ml) Can (375ml) Bottle (600ml) Bottle (600ml) Can (250ml) Can (250ml)	695 kJ/165 cal 5 kJ/1 cal 10 kJ/2 cal 630 kJ/150 cal 800 kJ/190 cal 480 kJ/118 cal 490 kJ/120 cal
Boost Juice Fruit Juice (Energiser) Crushes (Tropical Crush) Low-Fat Smoothies (Blueberry Blast)	Small (350ml) Small (350ml) Small (350ml)	690 kJ/165 cal 725 kJ/172 cal 1075 kJ/256 cal
Alcohol Beer (full strength) Beer (low alcohol) Wine	Schooner (450ml) Schooner (450ml) Glass (160ml)	710 kJ/170 cal 525 kJ/125 cal 500 kJ/120 cal

As a rough guide, men can burn 1100 kJ/hour walking or 3000 kJ/hour running while women can burn 825 kJ/hour walking or 2250 kJ/hour running so watch what's in that mug, glass or can.

If you can:

• Aim to drink water (at least 8 glasses of water a day) or unsweetened coffee and tea.
• Keep soft drinks or sports drinks to a minimum.
• Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
• Stay away from alcohol as much as you can.

 

Correct Posture When Using Laptops

Laptop computers (and now tablets such as iPads) are designed with portability in mind rather than ergonomics. When you use a laptop, either your head/neck bends to see the screen, or your hands/wrists use poor posture at the keyboard. As your head weighs between 4 and 5 kg, your neck and shoulder muscles will suffer from your habit in front of your laptop.

If you use a laptop extensively (several hours each day) with bad posture, you may increase your risk of developing overuse injuries of the hand/arm, shoulder, neck, and back. You may also develop general aches and pains in the neck, shoulders, arms, back, thighs, and lower legs (postural fatigue) or persistent pain or discomfort in muscles, tendons, and other soft tissue (repetitive strain injury).

Here are a few tips to minimise these problems when using a laptop.

1. The screen should be at eye level. Ideally, set your laptop height and screen angle so you can easily view the screen without bending or rotating your neck, and put it about an arm’s length in front of you. You may need to elevate the laptop above your desk, by using a laptop stand or sit it on telephone books.
2. Use a separate keyboard and position it at a height that allows your shoulders and arms to be in a relaxed position, with your elbows at a 90° angle when typing. Ideally, place the separate keyboard on a keyboard tray beneath your desk surface to help ensure that your wrists stay in a neutral (flat) position.
3. Use a separate mouse and position it near your body so you keep your wrist flat while using it.
4. Recline your chair slightly if you can’t use a separate keyboard and/or mouse. This will allow you to position the laptop keyboard and mouse with the least strain on your neck. Angle the screen slightly upward so that you can view the screen without having to bend your neck too far down.
5. Take short breaks at least every hour, go for a walk to get your blood flowing through your body or do some simple stretches, such as:
   • General: Stand up and stretch your arms over your head.
   • Neck: Slowly tilt your head to one side (ear to shoulder), hold and repeat on other side.
   • Shoulders: Hold your arms out to the side and slowly bring them behind your body, pushing your chest forward and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
   • Wrist: Hold one arm straight out in front of you and pull your hand backwards with other hand, then pull downward and repeat with other hand.

 

Blogs

Here is a summary of our blogs during April 2011.

• Making the Most of Your Metabolism [A few simple ideas to increase your metabolism.]
• Exercise For Your Body and Mind [We all know that exercise is good for us physically, but it can also strengthen the mind and improve our mood.]
• The 70-30 Rule [If you’re serious about losing those unwanted kilos, then you need to follow the ’70-30 Rule’, which basically means that 70% of your effort should be spent on nutrition and 30% on exercise.]
• Food Labelling Tricks [Tricks food manufacturers use to entice you to think that the products have certain health benefits.]

 

Not On Facebook

In addition to eNewsletters and blogs, we also provide other health and fitness information on our Facebook page. For those of you who are not on Facebook, below are our posts during April 2011:

• Kraft Live Active - Review of Australia's first cholesterol lowering cheese
• 4 Things Women Should Be Doing in Their Fitness Training - But Aren’t
• A beginner's guide to cooking oil [Myths and facts of 5 cooking oils: Olive; Canola; Rice Bran; Coconut; Flaxseed.]
• Mediterranean Diet Cuts Metabolic Syndrome Risk
• Habits that help good looks last [How good you look on the outside can depend a lot on what’s going on under your skin with flexibility, posture and muscle tone.]
• Boosting Your Immune System
• Natural Treatments for Arthritis
• 'Apple a Day' Advice Rooted in Science

 

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Nothing contained in this Newsletter is intended to be used as medical advice and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

Our mobile personal trainers/fitness coaches can come to you in the following areas of Sydney: Lower North Shore (Artarmon, Balmoral, Beauty Point, Cammeray, Castlecrag, Chatswood, Clifton Gardens, Cremorne, Crows Nest, Greenwich, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Lavender Bay, Linley Point, Longueville, McMahons Point, Middle Cove, Middle Harbour, Milsons Point, Mosman, Naremburn, Neutral Bay, North Sydney, Northbridge, Northwood, Riverview, Spit Junction, St Leonards, Waverton, Willoughby and Wollstonecraft). Upper North Shore (Castle Cove, Gordon, Lindfield, Pymble, Roseville, St Ives, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Warrawee and West Pymble). Northern Suburbs (East Ryde, Eastwood, Epping, Gladesville, Henley, Hunters Hill, Huntleys Cove, Huntleys Point, Macquarie Park, Marsfield, North Ryde and Woolwich). If you want to engage our services at a location we have not listed above, please contact us as we may be able to cater to your request.