Karen lee has been training with Lance for the past 5 years.  Her goals have been to maintain a steady weight, and to build her core strength to a personal optimum. With Lance’s help, Karen has never felt better in her life, and for the past 2 ½ years has been successful with her passion competing horses.  She has taken 1^st place titles at the U.S. Nationals two years in a row.  Karen has made physical training and horseback riding key roles in her life to be a happier, healthier person.

Healthy Habits Stealth Health: Get Healthy Without Really Trying Living healthier doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming, experts say By Colette Bouchez

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic – Feature Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

How much do you know about what makes up a healthy lifestyle? Here’s a pop quiz.

1. How do you define working out? a. Going to the gym. b. Turning the jump-rope for the neighbor’s kid. c. Playing Frisbee with your dog.

2. How do you define good nutrition? a. Eating a vegetable at every meal. b. Eating two vegetables at every meal. c. Drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

 3. Which of these is a healthy activity? a. Push-ups, sit-ups, or running the track. b. Walking the dog after dinner. c. Spending Saturday afternoon snoozing on the sofa.

Believe it or not, the correct answer to every question is A, B, and C — even that Saturday afternoon snooze! According to the growing “Stealth Health” movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living is easier than we think. “You can infuse your life with the power of prevention incrementally and fairly painlessly, and yes, doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better for you than doing nothing,” says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Center. Katz is also co-author of the book Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying. From your morning shower to the evening news, from your work commute to your household chores, Katz says, there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living. “If you let yourself make small changes, they will add up to meaningful changes in the quality of your diet, your physical activity pattern, your capacity to deal with stress, and in your sleep quality — and those four things comprise an enormously powerful health promotion that can change your life,” says Katz. And yes, he says, a nap on the couch can be a health-giving opportunity — particularly if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night. Nutritionist and diabetes educator Fran Grossman, RD, CDE, agrees. “You don’t have to belong to a gym or live on wheat grass just to be healthy,” says Grossman, a nutrition counselor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. “There are dozens of small things you can do every day that make a difference, and you don’t always have to do a lot to gain a lot.” Do a Little, Get a Lot The notion that good health can come in small tidbits is not really new. Research showing that making small changes can add up to a big difference has been quietly accumulating for a while. For example, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 found that adding just 30 minutes of walking per day was enough to prevent weight gain and encourage moderate weight loss. And if 30 minutes is still too big a bite? Another study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that three brisk 10-minute walks per day were as effective as a daily 30-minute walk in decreasing risk factors for heart disease. “Just the act of going from sedentary to moderately active gives you the greatest reduction in your risks,” says Helene Glassberg, MD, director of the Preventive Cardiology and Lipid Center at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. But it’s not only in fitness where small changes can make a difference. The same principles apply at the kitchen table (and the office snack bar). “Reducing fat intake, cutting down on sugar, eating a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar — over time, these things can make a difference,” says Grossman. As long as the changes are moving you toward your goal — be it weight loss, a reduction in cholesterol or blood pressure, or better blood sugar control — you can get there by taking baby steps, she says. Moreover, Grossman tells WebMD, making small changes can help give us the motivation to make bigger ones. “A lot of bad eating habits are about not taking charge of your life, and that attitude is often reflected in other areas,” says Grossman. On the other hand, she says, when you make small changes at the kitchen table, the rewards may show up in other areas of your life. “It’s the act of taking control that makes the difference in motivating you,” says Grossman. “An inner confidence and power begins to develop that can be seen in other areas of life.” Tripping Over Baby Steps Of course, not everyone is certain that baby steps can walk you all the way to good health. Marc Siegel, MD, a clinical associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine, says that while doing something is certainly better than doing nothing, making such small changes is like using a Band-aid to stop a hemorrhage. “It’s a small, gimmicky idea to target people with very unhealthy lifestyles, and for some it may be useful,” says Siegel, author of False Alarm: the Truth about the Epidemic of Fear. But he fears that for most people, it’s sending the wrong message. “In some ways it’s a resignation, an admission that things can’t be changed — and that’s certainly not the long-term answer,” Siegel tells WebMD. Katz concedes that the Stealth Health approach may not be right for everybody. “There is a trade-off because if you try to make the pursuit of health easier for people, you run the risk of leading them to believe they don’t need to do very much — and that would be the wrong message,” he says. At the same time, Katz believes that for those who find making health changes a daunting task, Stealth Health techniques can make a difference. “If you want the really big gains, there has to be some pain,” says Katz. “But there is a lot to be said for the idea that you can make some gains with little or no pain, and that’s infinitely better than no gains.” Try the Stealth Health Approach Tempted to give “Stealth Health” a try? Katz recommends picking any three of the following 12 changes and incorporating them into your life for four days. When you feel comfortable with those changes, pick three others. Once you’ve incorporate all dozen changes, you should start to feel a difference within a couple of weeks, he says. To Improve Nutrition: 1. Buy whole foods — whether canned, frozen, or fresh from the farm — and use them in place of processed foods whenever possible. 2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup, a calorie-dense, nutritionally empty sweetener that many believe is worse for the body than sugar, says Katz. 3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad. Not only will it help reduce your appetite for more caloric foods, but it also will automatically add veggies to your meal. To Improve Physical Fitness: 1. Do a squat every time you pick something up. Instead of bending over in the usual way, which stresses the lower back, bend your knees and squat. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength. 2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (or the bus does), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can. (Don’t worry, no one will see it!) This will firm leg and buttock muscles, improve blood flow — and keep you mildly amused! 3. Whenever you’re standing on a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. The extra stress on your opposite foot, ankle, calf and thigh, plus your buttocks, will help firm and tone muscles. Switch feet every few minutes. To Improve Stress Control: 1. Give your partner a hug every day before work. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day, Katz says. 2. Have a good cry. It can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hormones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly. 3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes To Improve Sleep: 1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep. 2. Buy a new pillow. Katz says that studies show that pillows with an indent in the center can enhance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Also, try a “cool” pillow — one containing either all-natural fibers or a combination of sodium sulfate and ceramic fibers that help keep your head cool. 3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You’ll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and essential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan — a natural sleep-inducer.

SOURCES: Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004; vol 164: pp 31-39. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, September 2002. David Katz, MD, MPH, director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University; co-author, Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying. Fran Grossman, MS, RD, CDE, nutrition counselor, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York. Helene Glassberg, MD, director, Preventive Cardiology and Lipid Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia. Marc Siegel, MD, clinical associate professor, New York University School of Medicine; author, False Alarm, The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear. Originally published September 9, 2005. Medically updated September 2007.

Thai-Style Salmon
A fresh, uncooked salad-style vegetable sauce tops the hot baked salmon. The contrast in temperatures and textures is extremely satisfying. There is also a wonderful contrast between the richness of the salmon and the herbal, citrusy flavors of the vegetable mixture. Serving suggestion: For a one-dish meal, toss the vegetables with a bowl of whole-wheat linguine and serve the pasta topped with the salmon.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slivers
4 salmon fillets, skin on (5 ounces each)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the soy sauce, and sugar. Add the carrots and bell pepper, and toss to combine. Refrigerate until serving time.

2 Place the salmon fillets, skin-side down, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, the coriander, and the salt. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until the fish just flakes when tested with a fork. Slip a spatula between the flesh and the skin and lift, leaving the skin behind.

3 Stir the cilantro and mint into the carrot-pepper mixture and spoon over the hot salmon.
Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Information (per serving)
calories 217 • total fat 9g (saturated 1.5g) • cholesterol 68mg • dietary fiber 2g • carbohydrate 12g • protein 23g • sodium 330mg • Good source of: beta carotene, niacin, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium

For many Americans carbohydrates have replaced fat as nutrition enemy No.1, with sugar being the most dreaded of all carbs. There still is much debate about how bad sugar is, but one thing is clear: Americans eat too much of it, about 50% more than they did a half century ago. But the main culprit isn’t those white sugar crystals you may be picturing.

If you are overweight, do you carry most of your extra pounds around your waist or your hips? Of course, being significantly overweight is unhealthy, but it’s important where the fat is stored. In recent years research has shown that having an “apple-shaped” body (a lot of abdominal fat) increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, several types of cancer, and possibly other disorders. A “pear-shaped” body (fattest in the hips, buttocks, and thighs) is less risky, and may be protective in some ways, especially in women.

Why it ends up there
Several factors, notably gender, influence fat distribution. Men store most excess fat in the midsection, while women tend to accumulate it lower on the body. Still, women can be apple-shaped, too, particularly after menopause. Heredity and activity level also affect body shape.

Abdominal obesity increases the risk of developing high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, triglycerides (fats in the blood), blood pressure, and blood sugar, as well as insulin resistance and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol. This cluster of problems is known as the metabolic syndrome, which in turn increases the risk of many chronic diseases.

While most of the fat in the hips and thighs is stored just under the skin (subcutaneous fat), more fat in the midsection is stored in and around the liver and other organs (visceral fat). These fat cells deep in the abdominal area are more “metabolically active” than subcutaneous fat. That is, they release different substances— more of certain fatty acids, hormones, and inflammatory compounds—which are believed to account for some of the adverse health effects. Visceral fat increases estrogen production, for in-stance, which may partly explain the increase in breast cancer in some postmenopausal women. And by inducing chronic inflammation in the body, excess visceral fat may further boost cardiovascular risk.

Apple-shaped adversities
Here are some recent findings about abdominal fat:

• Heart disease. The waist-to-hip ratio, a standard measure used to evaluate body shape, is a good way to determine risk of heart disease, better than a simple waist measurement or the well-known body mass index (which takes into account height and weight), according to a 2007 British study in Circulation. It found that abdominal fat is a strong risk factor, while fat in the hips actually offers some protection—and thus concluded that the comparison of waist to hips is important. For example, a big waist with comparably large hips is not as risky as a big waist with small hips (yielding a higher ratio). Last year a Canadian analysis of previous studies also found that an increased waist-to-hip ratio was strongly linked to cardiovascular disease.

• Stroke. A Finnish study in Archives of Internal Medicine last year found that men (but not women) with abdominal obesity were more likely to have a stroke.

• Diabetes. A 2006 study in the journal Obesity concluded that a large waist was a better predictor of Type 2 diabetes risk than body weight, body mass index, or other measures, confirming a link seen in many previous studies.

• Cancer. A major 2007 report on cancer by experts from around the world concluded that excess weight increased the risk of many cancers, but that abdominal obesity, in particular, is linked to colon/rectal cancer, as well as cancers of the breast (in postmenopausal women), pancreas, and endometrium.

• Dementia. A study last year from Columbia University showed a link between obesity, especially in the abdomen, and the risk of dementia. Then in March of this year a study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, found that, compared to thinner people, those with large waists at age 40 to 45 were about three times more likely to have dementia when they reach their seventies. (People with large hips and thighs were not at increased risk.) Since abdominal obesity often goes along with other factors that can increase dementia risk—such as diabetes, hypertension, and lack of physical activity—it is hard to know which is the main culprit. This suggests, once again, that what’s bad for your heart is also bad for your brain.

• Urinary incontinence. In 2007 Harvard researchers found that larger waist circumference increases the chances that older women will develop urinary incontinence. Studies have found a similar link between large waists and increased urinary symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate. One likely explanation: abdominal obesity increases pressure in the abdomen and bladder.

Shrinking the big apple
There is no way to lose fat just around your waist, except by losing weight, period. You can’t spot reduce. You have to exercise your whole body—walk briskly, ride a bike, lift weights—and thus burn more calories. You also should reduce your calorie intake, or at least not increase it. And don’t smoke: smoking is associated with abdominal fat accumulation.

One piece of good news: While abdominal fat tends to accumulate faster than other fat, it also tends to come off faster. Another: Losing just 2 inches from the waist reduces coronary risk by 11% in men and 15% in women, according to one recent study.

Answer
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is “generally recognized as safe,” the use of MSG remains controversial.

MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. But subsequent research found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and the symptoms that some people described after eating food containing MSG. As a result, MSG is still added to some foods.

A comprehensive review of all available scientific data on glutamate safety sponsored by the FDA in 1995 reaffirmed the safety of MSG when consumed at levels typically used in cooking and food manufacturing. The report found no evidence to suggest that MSG contributes to any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer’s disease. But it did acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions to MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — may include:

• Headache, sometimes called MSG headache
• Flushing
• Sweating
• Sense of facial pressure or tightness
• Numbness, tingling or burning in or around the mouth
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Weakness

Symptoms are usually mild and don’t require treatment. However, some people report more severe reactions. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG. When MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that “monosodium glutamate” be listed on the label — or on the menu, in restaurants.

Cardiovascular exercise is the one of the best ways to stay and shape and is often a lot easier to do then resistance training because you don’t even need a gym most of the time. The most obvious exercises are walking and running, but swimming is another easy alternative to that. Swimming is a good form of cardio because it has the same great benefits as running without the impact on joints that may cause pain for some people.

Because swimming is easy on the bones it is an ideal form of exercise for senior citizens, pregnant women, and injured people. Most cities have programs for these groups of people that usually will cost less than going to a gym and these programs may assist you in making the best of your time and money.  The great thing about swimming is that it works out every major group of muscles. Each swimming stroke works out a different muscle group, and incorporating them in your routine each time will help burn calories as well as tone your upper and lower body. Swimmers typically share a similar body image as runners with slim and toned bodies, so, with the right routine and diet you can make your body look  very good. If swimming on your own doesn’t suit your style you can try doing competitive lap swimming or join a water polo or water volleyball team which most cities will have leagues.