Nutrition: You Are What You Eat

For proper nutrition, eat a variety of foods from the Food Pyramid. Eat 6 to 11 servings of bread/rice/pasta, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, 2 to 4 servings of fruit, 2 to 3 servings of milk/cheese products and 2 to 3 servings of nuts/fish/meat/eggs. Use fats, sweets and oils sparingly. If you have a health problem requiring a special diet, consult with your health provider about what to eat.

Feel Better From the Inside Out

Exercise has been found to prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, help control diabetes and improve mental health. A complete fitness program includes aerobic, strength, endurance and flexibility exercises. Aerobic conditioning (brisk walking, running) enhances your body's ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues. Muscular strength (weight training) is your muscles' ability to exert force for a short period of time. Muscular endurance is your muscles' ability to sustain repeated contractions or apply continuous force against an unmoving object. Flexibility (yoga, stretching) is the ability of your joints and muscles to move through their full range of motion. Exercise at least three times a week for a minimum 20 minutes each time.

AB-Solutely Fit

Harry Houdini, the magician, used to have people punch him in the stomach as a part of his act. Houdini could keep a straight face while people punched him, even into his 50s. Harry Houdini knew strong abdominals were no illusion, because he worked out daily to strengthen his stomach. He also knew that the key to strong abdominals was consistent training.

Some reasons to make an abdominal work out part of your everyday activity are:

• to maintain good posture
• stability when moving
• prevention of lower back problems
• overall injury prevention
• good looks

The Muscles

• upper abdominals--muscles that run vertically in the upper middle of the abdomen
• lower abdominal--muscles that run vertically in the lower middle of the abdomen
• obliques--diagonal muscles at the sides of the torso
• transverse--horizontal muscles that form the stomach plate

The Exercises

Crunches--Targets your upper abdominals.
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hands can be across your chest or behind your head (do not pull up on your neck). Contracting your abdominal, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, looking up, not toward your knees. Hold for 2 seconds then lower.

Seated Knee Raises--Targets the lower abdominals.
Sit on the edge of a chair or bench, holding onto the sides for support with your back straight and upright, legs extended downward but not touching the floor. Contracting your abdominals, raise your knees to your chest

Bar Twists--Targets the oblique muscles.
Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent, holding an unweighted bar or broom handle behind your neck on your shoulders. Keeping your hips stationary, twist your torso to the left as far as you can, then right.

Vacuums--Targets the transverse muscles.
Stand with your hands on your hips. Take a deep breath, exhale and suck your abdomen up and in as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds, then inhale and relax.

According to Doug Lentz, State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, one to three sets of 20 to 25 slow, controlled exercises is recommended. Doing two of the exercises daily is enough; you don't need to do all four. A combination of the machines at OSF Saint James' Rehabilitation Center and these exercises should produce punchable results.

Choosing the Right Exercise Machine
A study comparing energy burned by people working out on six types of exercise machines found that the treadmill came out on top. The energy expenditures shown here are average values; individual values will differ depending on body size, fitness and other factors.

 

Machine	Calories Per Hour
Treadmill	705
Stair-stepper	627
Rowing machine	606
Cross country skier	595
Airdyne cycle	509
Cycling machine	498

Body Fat
Percentage of body fat is the most accurate measure of your weight, not a scale. Have your body fat checked, or rechecked, if you haven't had it done for a while.

For more information, call OSF Saint James Education Center at 815-842-4545.