HEALTH / FITNESS

Information about fitness, health, nutrition and weight loss

Do you know of a new diet or fitness routine that you'd like us to review? Or perhaps you want to write a review yourself and see it in print! Got a great recipe you want to share? Let us know at info@ssbbw-magazine.com.

In this Section....

Halloween/Canadian Thanksgiving Recipes
Daily Diet Tip
A Guide to a Complete Body Chair Workout
Tips for a Healthy Halloween

October Recipes - Click Here

October is here and for most of us that means ghosts and goblins and spooky movies all month long!!!! For our readers in Canada, it means they will also be celebrating their Thanksgiving Day the 2nd Monday of the month, so on October 8th, wish all your good buddies from up north a happy turkey day!!! And in keeping with the holiday season, this month's recipes will incorporate both Canada's Thanksgiving and everyone's scary favorite - Halloween - in one awesome meal!! There are recipes for both adults and children, and adults that enjoy being children, too!!! So dig out those costumes, pick up a couple pumpkins, and let's celebrate October!!!

And please send us your recipes. Be sure to put your name and where you're from and send them, and a picture if possible, to recipes@ssbbw-magazine.com and we'll be sure to print as many as possible.

Daily Diet Tip

A Guide to a Complete Body Chair Workout

Currently, gyms and home gym manufacturers do not offer specific equipment for overweight and/or obese clients. However, a great fitness program is just a chair away. So pull up an armless chair and a set of light hand weights for a great total body workout.

Throughout this workout, maintain good posture. This means chest high, shoulders back, head in a neutral position and no slouching Tightening your abdominal muscles helps achieve good posture and additional core strengthening.

This workout is designed for a beginner's level, regardless of weight or fitness ability. Complete one set of each exercise in order. Each set should consist of 8-15 repetitions, depending on your current training level and the amount of weight used. Add extra sets and/or heavier weights as your training levels increase.

1. Chair Row. This exercise targets your latissmus dorsi muscles. These are the big muscles that begin at the armpit traveling down to the small of the back. Building this muscle will help achieve not only a stronger back, it will give you a "V" shaped appearance which creates an appearance of a smaller stomach area.

Sit upright in your chair, a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides
Lean forward from the waist and keep your head looking straight
Dumbbells should be hanging down at your sides with palms facing in
Pull the weight up to your lower abs, maintaining the elbows close to the body
Lower back down in a controlled manner

2. Chest Squeeze. This exercise strengthens the inner portion of the chest muscles, the pectoralis major, a thick fan shaped muscle at the anterior of the chest.

Sitting upright in your chair, hold a weight in each hand. Shoulders should be down and relaxed.
Lift your upper arms out to your sides while parallel to the floor. Palms should be facing toward with elbows bent at 90 degrees
Focus on bringing elbows together (not your hands). Squeeze and hold for 3 seconds, carefully bring the arms back to your sides

3. Military Press. This exercise targets both the anterior and medial deltoid muscle in your shoulder. Sitting down during this exercise is a great way to prevent unwanted backwards lean, thereby improving the isolation on the deltoids. Remember not to "clank".

If this exercise seems to difficult, you may alternate arms
Hold your dumbbells, head up back straight, feet firmly on the ground
Place arms out to the side, elbows bend at 90 degrees
Slowly press both hands up overhead until the weights are a few inches apart
Lower back down to the 90 degree angle

4. Biceps Curls. This exercise targets your biceps muscles. These are the muscles that would pop to life after Popeye would tip back a can of spinach. The idea is to curl the weights rather than swinging the weights up and down.

Hold your dumbbells in each hand, palms facing out, with arms extended in front
Curl the weight up towards your chest, squeezing your biceps. Hold for 3 seconds. Do not move your elbows or your back. Keep your wrists straight
Lower back down, keeping a slight bend in your elbow back to your starting point

5. Tricep Dumbbell Extension. This exercise works the muscle in the back of the arms. It helps tighten up the jiggly arm.

Grab a light dumbbell in one hand
Sit up straight, feet shoulder width apart
Left the dumbbell so that it is at arms length straight above your shoulder
Slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc motion behind your head until your elbow is at a 90 degree angle. The dumbbell will be parallel to the back of your head.
Lift up straightening the arm, elbow slightly bent
Finish all reps, switch hands and repeat

6. Ab Rotation. Abdominal muscles include your oblique, transverse muscles deep in your belly, and the muscles along your spine. Strong muscles are the key in core stability Core stability improve balance, athletic performance, and potentially prevent a variety of injuries in people of all ages and fitness levels.

Go slowly, rotate only at the torso.
Sit up with good posture holding a dumbbell in front of torso, elbows bent
Keep your abdominal muscles contracted; rotate to the right, keeping the hips and legs facing toward
Contract abdominal muscles to bring the weight back to center
Repeat on the left

As with any exercise program, get a doctor's okay before starting if you have any medical conditions or health concerns. All 6 exercises can be done in one workout, 2 to 3 non-consecutive days per week. Be sure that rest and nutritious meals are part of your lifestyle. Without both of these elements, your muscular gains will suffer. Try combining this workout with additional cardiovascular workouts.

Sometimes your fitness routine is the first thing that gets crossed off the "to-do" list. Put your chair in front of a TV or out on your deck if that helps keep you motivated. Set realistic goals, be consistent with your workout, and always remember to reward yourself when a new goal is reached. Share your achievements with others, their acknowledge of your success will inspire your to continue to reach future goals.

Written by: Marianne Westervelt

Tips for a Healthy Halloween - Halloween Sweets: Trick or Treat?

With an estimated $1.93 billion in candy sales, Halloween is the sweetest holiday of the year, beating out Easter, Valentine's Day, and Christmas! With Halloween haunting us at the end of the month, now is the time to think about which sweets are unhealthy "tricks" and which are healthy "treats". Many of us will be tempted by our kid's goodie bags or by workplace candy dishes. The list below offers up some suggestion on how to have a "controlled" indulgence without going overboard on fat, calories, and sugar!

1 "fun" size Snickers (99 calories, 5 g fat, 10 g sugar)
10 candy corns (50 calories, 0 g fat, 5.5 g sugar)
1 blowpop (50 calories, 0 g fat, 11 g sugar)
2 Hershey kisses (50 calories, 3 g fat, 5 g sugar)
1 "fun" size bag of Skittles (77 calories, 0.8 g fat, 14.5 g sugar)
1 "fun" size bag of M&Ms (105 calories, 4.5 g fat, 13 g sugar)
4 Starburst chews (40 calories, 5 g fat, 34 g sugar)
1 Hershey's miniature - Special Dark, Krackel, Milk Choc, or Mr. Goodbar (45 calories, 2.5 g fat each)

The key to this, and every holiday, is moderation. By keeping your sugar intake moderate, you will not run the risk of gaining weight, or of becoming "hooked on sugar". So limit yourself to about 100 calories of sugar per day, and restrict your Halloween indulges to a day or two. This way there won't be any long lasting detrimental effects (weight gain!).

More than 90 percent of children go trick-or-treating each year, according to the National Confectioners Association. But it's not just kids. Ninety percent of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids' trick-or-treat bags. And while I believe that small things make a difference and I strongly advocate dietary consistency for long-term weight-control success (no one-day breaks), I'm not going to spoil the holiday. However, I do have a few suggestions for making "healthier" choices.

Candy corn vs. Mini Chocolate Candy

Based simply on calories and fat, candy corn is a better bet. Because it's so sweet, it's hard to eat more than a couple of 1-ounce packages (220 calories for two packs) and it's virtually fat-free. With chocolate, on the other hand, you can eat a lot quickly. And each one of those mini candy bars has 45 to 80 calories. To be fair, even though chocolate has more saturated fat, it also has some antioxidants and calcium (but it is still not a health food). So choose the chocolate minis - but only two or three.

Reese's minis (five pieces): 210 calories
Mini mix (five bite-size pieces, including Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers and Twix): 200 calories, 9 grams fat, 29 grams carbs
Mini Kit Kat (three pieces): 220 calories, 11grams fat, 27 grams carbs
Fit Tip: For a chocolate taste with fewer calories, opt for mini Peppermint Patties - only 50 calories and 1 gram of fat for more than a half-ounce portion.

Pumpkin seeds vs. Gummy Bears

Gummy bears have fewer calories - 140 for 16 bears - and because they're so chewy and sticky, you may eat a lot less. But they offer no nutritional value, whereas pumpkin seeds are loaded with protein, healthy fat, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and other minerals. Unfortunately, they also pack on the calories: 180 to 200 for a quarter cup, so eat them sparingly.

Chocolate Raisins vs. Hershey's Kisses

If you have six Hershey's Kisses (25 calories each), that's 150 calories, whereas 1 ounce of chocolate-covered raisins has about 120 calories plus you get the health benefits of the raisins. And, if you eat them one at a time they'll last longer than a few Kisses.

Fit Tip: Why not have plain old raisins? They have iron, potassium and fiber, are low in sodium, fat-free and loaded with antioxidants. While not a calorie bargain, they're still healthier than either of the above. A -1/2-ounce box can pack 45 calories - about one calorie per raisin.

Rice Krispies treats vs. Halloween sugar cookie

It's a close call: Rice Krispies Treats (90 calories, 2 grams fat, 18 grams carbs) are 10 calories less than a 1-ounce cookie (100 calories, 6 grams fat, 12 grams carbs). The Treats also are lower in fat and individually wrapped to help control overeating, which make them the better option.

Smarties vs. Skittles

Smarties, like their name, are the smarter choice. Two packages of Smarties (30 tablets) are 50 calories. Skittles have 170 calories per 1.5-ounce bag.

Cupcakes vs. Pie vs. Layer Cake

Layer cake is by far the worst choice, at more than 400 calories. The cupcake (290 calories) and the pumpkin pie (4.5-ounce slice, 300 calories) are close when it comes to calories, but since portion sizes are usually bigger for pie, a cupcake is typically your better bet. Skip the whipped cream if you choose pie - it adds 80 to 100 calories per serving.

Apple vs. Candy Apple

OK, this is a giveaway, but the point is the huge difference in calories: 60 to 80 for a plain apple; 330 or more for a candy apple.

Tootsie Roll vs. Tootsie Pop

Tootsie Pops - about 60 calories each - last a lot longer than a Tootsie Roll Midgee, about 25 calories.

Admittedly, eating candy on Halloween is a must. However, it does not have to be excessive or result in diet sabotage. Here are a few ways to compensate for Halloween indulgence.

Keep it high: Place the candy for trick-or-treaters upstairs so you have to run up and down the stairs to get it - do this 10 times and you've burned about 68 calories.
Walk it off: Take your children trick-or-treating and keep up with them! Three hours can burn 300 to 500 calories.
Don't go far out: Don't buy Halloween candy too far in advance; you'll have less time to eat it!
Don't enjoy: When buying candy for trick-or-treaters, choose kinds you don't like.
Work it: Make your child's costume. Sewing burns about 100 calories per hour.
Get full: Have a satisfying and nutritious dinner before trick-or-treating - you'll be less likely to pick at the candy.
Keep it at 100: There are a number of 100-calorie snack packages perfect for Halloween, such as Planters Peanut Butter Crisps, Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Pringles, and Jolly Time Healthy Pop popcorn.

For more information check out this website: http://www.sararybanutrition.com/newsletter_200310.shtml

Written by: Maria Albus

Weight Loss Surgery can be scary words or they can be words of hope. Most SSBBWs have thought of or had someone mention weight loss surgery. It's obviously not for everyone. There are SSBBWs who have accepted that they are large and always will be. There are some who like being large and don't want to change. And there are others who live day to day with pain, both physical and emotional, of carrying the extra weight that have various reasons for wanting to do something about it.

Everyone has a view on weight loss surgery be it good or bad or even neutral. Which is perfectly fine as we are all entitled to our opinions. One reader has made the decision to have weight loss surgery and will take us on her journey. What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery? Have you had weight loss surgery? Our forums are available for you to discuss and give your views on this topic.

Click here to read about our readers journey with weight loss surgery.