#wellness

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Low-Calorie Meals: Friend or Foe?

A recent study out of Cornell University (Go Big Red!), looked at the impact of low-calorie meals on overall daily calorie intake. People were given access to all-you-can-eat buffets for all meals. However, part of the time they were asked to eat a small, 200 calorie lunch (i.e. Lean Pocket, Granola Bar) instead of their usual “lunch buffet”. One those low-calorie lunch days, they ate 245 less calories in total, despite consuming about the same number of calories at breakfa

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Add Flavor to Your Food for Zero Calories

jasonmachowsky

1 min

Add Flavor to Your Food for Zero Calories

Clove a Day Keeps the Doctor Away Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net And I’m not talking about artificial sweeteners! Some of the most flavorful additions to our meals can have zero (or close to zero) calories and zero sodium (put the salt shaker down!). But many people are intimidated by using spices in their cooking, or even in quick 5 minute dishes; however one piece of garlic or sprig of thyme can make all the difference between Blah and Booyah! You can add spices to any

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jasonmachowsky

1 min

Who Has Better Posture?

Round 1: Sumo vs. Business Saw this advertisement in an airline magazine on my way to a wedding in Omaha last weekend. Take a look at the flat back alignment of the sumo wrestler vs. the hunched-over businessman. I bet they didn’t even consider it when doing the photo shoot. Goes to show you can be stable AND mobile 🙂 Although I didn’t run an FMS on these guys, odds are the businessman is rounding his back due to either: 1) Tight hip flexors that don’t allow his hips to f

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Knee or Lower Back Pain? Don’t Blame Your Knee or Lower Back

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Knee or Lower Back Pain? Don’t Blame Your Knee or Lower Back

Functional Movement Screen Hurdle Step Just as in any other crime, it is the victim that cries, not the perpetrator. Recent insights into human movement, spearheaded by Gray Cook and Mike Boyle have led to the development of the Joint-by-Joint approach which classifies the body into an alternating series of mobile and stable joints. For example, the ankle should be mobile, the knee stable, the hip mobile, lower back stable and so on. When a mobile joint becomes stable, whethe

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jasonmachowsky

1 min

Of Girlfriends and Green Smoothies Pt 2: My Fav Five

Below you will find my five favorite smoothie recipes. A good rule of thumb is about 3 to 4 big leaves of a thick green (i.e. kale, collards, swiss chard), a small bunch of cilantro or parsley, or a big handful of spinach for each piece of fruit. Add some water and ice, blend to taste. If you want to get fancy you can add juice, milk, yogurt, peanut butter or spices (i.e. cinnamon, vanilla). These are technically designed for high-powered blenders like VitaMix or Blendtec

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Of Girlfriends and Green Smoothies

Since achieving my 35 pound weight loss journey in 2005 and subsequent foray into graduate school for Applied Physiology and Nutrition, I considered myself a relatively health conscious eater. I ended up trying a number of “diets” in grad school for about a week or so in the name of science…low-carb (Atkins), raw vegan and even a “food stamp” diet (I had to eat for a week only on the amount someone receives on food stamps…about $35 at the time. $5 a day.). Coming out the othe

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

The Power of 10

The average adult gains about one pound per year and one pound equals about 3500 calories. 3500 calories divided by 365 days a year equals about 10 calories a day. While one pound does not sound like a lot, that becomes ten pounds a decade. This means if you are a svelte 180 pounds at 25 years old, you may be facing a hefty 210 pounds at 55 years old. So…back to the ten calories. Often we are too focused on our crash diets, multi-hour workout sessions and egregious errors

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

So, What’s a Registered Dietitian (RD)?

Unless you’ve been to a hospital, nursing home or personally know one, you may have never heard of a Registered Dietitian (RD). But you’ve probably heard of a nutritionist. When you hear both names, which do you think is more qualified to give you nutrition advice? My answer is, it depends. Let me start by saying that I am an RD…and I also consider myself a nutritionist. However, the key rule to know is: All RD’s are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are RD’s. Her

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Balanced Eating on Vacation – Part 2

One of my previous posts described how to indulge wisely when on vacation. The two articles I have linked today focus on using a little bit of planning to go a long way in preventing yourself from eating less healthy options on vacation that you did not even want in the first place. Imagine eating an hour before leaving for the airport, then taking 30 minutes to get there, 60 minutes in line for tickets/security and now a 90 minute wait before a 4 hour plane ride. That mean

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Going on Vacation? Indulge Wisely

The kids are getting out of school, work slows down and the weather is warm; summer must be around the corner! Summer is a time of relaxation and vacation for many people and families. We like to use vacations as a “break” from our normal routines, which sometimes means eating out more and “cheating” from an otherwise healthy lifestyle. I completely agree that vacations are a time to indulge and experience new flavors and foods that cannot otherwise be experienced at home.

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jasonmachowsky

4 min

How Do We Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes?

Every January 1st, millions around the globe make the commitment, yet so few actually follow through with the resolution: I will live healthier. We all know what we need to do to live healthier: eat more fruits and vegetables, less sugar and fried foods, more exercise, and so on. But then why the heck are so few of us able to do it? And maintain it? The answer to this question involves understanding the process of change and all of the decisions surrounding it, most notabl

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jasonmachowsky

1 min

Do You Need Sports Drinks or Vitamin-Enhanced Waters?

Too often I see people drinking flavored, caloric sports drinks when doing highly inactive things…namely watching TV, eating dinner or going for a leisurely “walk”. While many know that these drinks are not really healthy, they still choose to have them because it “tastes better than water”. If someone is weaning off of soda, then by all means replace soda (about 100 calories per 8 oz.) with a sports drink (about 50-75 calories per 8 oz.). But be aware that the average 20

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Exercise: Quality vs. Quantity?

Movement, by Gray Cook As a personal trainer and movement correction practitioner, I am always trying to tow the line between providing my clients with an opportunity to get stronger and burn calories while maintaining a safe training environment that reduces injury risk. As Mike Boyle has said, the goal of the best trainers are to “Reduce injury risk while enhancing performance.” I have used the Functional Movement Screen with my clients for a number of years now, however,

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jasonmachowsky

1 min

Again, Why Whole Foods are Usually Better…

An interesting article and study from an exercise kinesiology researcher at UNC. Turns out that free radicals aren’t all doom and gloom. They are actually a part of a complex signaling network that tells your body how to properly adapt to a bout of exercise. Those who choose to take antioxidant supplements to “fight free radicals” may actually putting themselves more at a deficit than an advantage. And the author’s ultimate recommendation? “In conclusion, if you have a we

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jasonmachowsky

2 min

Genetically Modified Foods: Technological Triumph or Disaster Waiting to Happen?

The genetically modified salmon are coming! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/07/gm-salmon-industrial-food-system?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter And genetically modified sugar beets…coming to packaged sugary foods at a supermarket near you: http://food.change.org/blog/view/usda_illegally_issues_permits_for_genetically_engineered_sugar_beets The rationale for such “innovations” are usually in response to crises such as feeding the third wor

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