Thursday, March 26, 2009

Corn Fed Diet is Bad Medicine for Americans

A Message From THE REBEL
A Product of PEP Productions, LLC




A corn–fed diet is
bad medicine for Americans


The attached article by George Will, a nationally syndicated journalist, appeared in many newspapers recently. I not only get upset, I get downright mad when I read this stuff. Greed is said to have been a major cause of our current economic woes. We could also say that greed in the corn-belt, in feedlots, and in the processed food industry has caused a nation of unhealthy and overweight people.
Mr. Will says that ¼ of all products in an average supermarket contain corn – and a good portion of these contain corn syrup. In my opinion, the majority of the corn raised in America is not fit for human consumption. Corn is fortified by the petroleum industry like no other crop. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, which are petroleum based, dominate this fortification. In addition, most all corn is from seed that has been genetically modified.
I believe you will be surprised at all the products in our grocery stores that contain corn. Listed below are a few I thought might surprise you:

Meat: Most all animals are corn-fed to some degree – except for those that are totally grass fed.
Cereals: Total, as well as many other cereals, contains corn syrup.
Crackers: Most crackers, including Nabisco Saltine Crackers, contain corn syrup.
Boxed dinners: Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper contains cornstarch.
Canned dinners: Campbell’s Spaghettios contains high fructose corn syrup.
Chef Boyarde Beef Ravioli contains high fructose corn syrup.
Soup: Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup contains corn oil.
Progresso New England Clam Chowder contains cornstarch, corn syrup, and hydrolyzed corn protein.
Snack bars: Nature Valley Trail Mix Bars contain corn syrup.
Canned tomatoes: Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes, Italian Recipe contains high fructose corn
syrup.
Applesauce: Musselman’s Applesauce contains high fructose corn syrup.
Pudding: Snack Pack Pudding contains cornstarch.
Juice: Juice cocktails contain corn syrup. Sunny D contains high fructose corn syrup.
Whipped topping: Cool Whip contains corn syrup.
Yogurt: Most fruited yogurts contain high fructose corn syrup.
Soda pop: These contain high fructose corn syrup.
Gatorade: These drinks contain high fructose corn syrup.
Ice cream: Most frozen desserts contain high fructose corn syrup.

Processed meats:
Oscar Mayer Chopped Ham contains corn syrup.
Oscar Mayer Bologna contains corn syrup.
Oscar Mayer Chicken Breast Lunchmeat contains corn syrup.
Oscar Mayer Light Wieners contains corn syrup.
Ball Park Beef Franks contain corn syrup.
Hormel Turkey Breast & Gravy contains modified cornstarch.

I encourage you to read the attached article by George Will. I believe you will begin to understand that we are a nation of over-fed yet under-nourished people.

What can we do about it?
If we are to be a healthier nation, we need to get back to the basics and away from processed foods. What are processed foods? Those that come in boxes, cans, bottles, cartons, jars, bags, etc. Most of what we eat should be raw fruits and vegetables along with nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. A small amount of food from animals is necessary, in my opinion, with the best choices from animals that are grass fed.
Making change is not easy, so take one step at a time.



Choose to be healthy!!











Perform a random act of kindness today.





Jayne Benkendorf, editor
The Rebel
www.HealthfulFood.com

Copyright 2009
The Rebel may be shared in its whole, original form only. It is strictly forbidden to reproduce in part or with any additions, makeovers, deletions, highlighting, or any other alteration from its original.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Another Message from Jayne

A Message From THE REBEL
A Product of PEP Productions, LLC


My Old Watch – And Me

Carl Rogers received a new watch for his birthday when he was 27 years old. After a couple years of real good service, his watch began losing about 2 minutes a day. But this was no problem for Carl as he would simply reset his watch each week, and all was fine. After another couple years, the 2 minutes became 5 minutes, and by the time he was 35, his watch was losing 15 minutes a day. So now he would reset it each morning and go on about his business.
Carl was quite a detail person and kept records on everything, and this included the history of his watch. When Carl reached 40 years of age, he got out all the records on his watch and went through them.
Carl had taken pictures of himself each of the 13 years he wore his watch. He got these out and looked them over. He laid them all out in order of time, and at first, he just admired his watch and how it looked with the clothes he was wearing. But then Carl began looking at himself, and the more he did, the more his attention shifted from his watch to the Carl he was seeing in the pictures.
When he was 27, he saw that he was fit and trim. He looked more alert and more active. And although he couldn’t really see much difference from one year to another, he could definitely see his body slipping when he looked at a 4 to 5 year period. He also remembered back when he was 27 that he was so active and did so many things; whereas today, any activity seemed to come much harder.
Then that “significant” thing happened to Carl. As he was looking at how his body had changed in 13 years, he would glance at his watch and realize how it too had slowed, had become weaker, and was constantly needing repair and attention. Then he thought, “Boy, my life and the life of my watch have been going in the same direction, and I haven’t even realized it. How could I be so stupid to not see this happening?”
Having realized what he had let happen, he made two very important – and positive – decisions. First, he immediately made plans for regaining the body he left behind. Secondly, he bought a new watch.
Well, that was 5 years ago, and today on Carl’s 45th birthday; he laid his pictures together again. Was he excited! He could see a “new” Carl – the Carl he used to know when he was 27; a Carl with energy; a Carl who wasn’t always taking medicine for this and that; a Carl who was trim; a Carl with good muscle tone and strength. And most importantly, a Carl who felt good about himself!
Oh yes, Carl doesn’t put up with slow running watches anymore. If they can’t keep up, they go!


Perform a random act of kindness today.


Jayne Benkendorf, editor
The Rebel
www.HealthfulFood.com

Copyright 2009
The Rebel may be shared in its whole, original form only. It is strictly forbidden to reproduce in part or with any additions, makeovers, deletions, highlighting, or any other alteration from its original.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Fun Family Friendly Exercise Ideas

When the weather is nice you can always go for a walk, ride bikes, shoot baskets, kick a soccer ball around, play tag, work in the garden, jump rope, fly a kite, potato sack races, hop scotch, hool-a-hoop...just to name a few. But unfortunately in Oklahoma we know that the weather is very tempermental that we can't always do outdoor activities. So here are a few indoor fun ideas: play twister, jumping jacks, turn on some music and dance, workout dvd, play hide-n-seek, shadow box.

I know you can come up with some other activities. Share with us YOUR favorite fun family friendly exercise ideas. I would love to try them!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Answer to Lisa's question!

Lisa asked what are some basic exercises she can do at home beyond pushups, squats, lunges and crunches. Here are a few:

Bicep Curls - Keep elbows close to ribs, turn palms up and squeeze bicep to lift weight without lifting elbows
Lateral Arm raises - Lift DB to shoulder height to your sides
Front Arm raises - Lift DB to shoulder height to the front of your body
Planks - balance on your knees or toes and elbows, keep your body in a straight line without letting your back arch
Plie' Squats - wide stance with feet turned out 45 degrees. This works the inner & outer thighs a little bit better.
Supermans - Lie on your stomach with feet and hands extended, lift both simultaneously up and down
Lying leg lifts - Lay on one side, stacking hips & ribs, rotate top foot out and lift and lower in a controlled manor
Lying inner thigh lifts - Lay on one side, bring top foot crossed in front of body, lift heel of bottom foot towards ceiling in a controlled manor

Give these a try...2-3 sets of about 10-15 reps each side!

Friday, January 30, 2009

What do you want to know?

If you have any thoughts or questions concerning exercise or nutritional tips, leave a comment...maybe I can help you out!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Workout without leaving your home

If you are a cable subscriber, you should check out channel 257 with Cox. FitTV is a great channel that is filled with workout programs from Belly Dancing to Yoga. Some of my favorite shows are workouts with Gilad (even the spandex clad ones) and yoga. Really give all of them a shot and see which ones are your favorite. It also has some really great shows on cooking healthier. Check it out and let me know what you think!

If you don't have cable, they use to have early morning workouts with Denise Austin and some other challenging workouts too. I am not sure they are still airing though. If you know, please let me know!

A Message from my Friend Jayne

A Message From THE REBEL
A Product of PEP Productions, LLC


Wanting to Lose Weight?

A new study may make losing weight much easier for some people.

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat fast are three (3) times more likely to be overweight than the same people eating slowly. Over 3,000 people participated in this study, and the findings were the same no matter the age of the participant or the activity level.

Fast Food:
Fast food takes on a completely new meaning. Think about it. Eating on the run, consuming a sandwich in 5 minutes because you’re late, gulping down food without much chewing because you’re starved or you’re late, or you’re just in the habit of eating fast – this IS fast food!
My husband, Doug, and I have been in a restaurant many times where the table next to us served 3 different parties during the same time we ate our meal. It seemed they wiped out their entire meal in the blink of an eye. The next time you’re in a restaurant, identify the fast eaters. Then check out their weight. What type of eater are you?

Why?
So, why does eating fast make us more likely to be overweight? The answer is simple. People who eat fast eat more food. It’s the volume thing. We would be better served to eat like many of our animal friends – grazing like cattle and fowl. In other words, eating a small amount many times during the day.
When we eat fast, we will eat more than our body needs. Before our body has a chance to communicate to our brain that we’re satisfied, we are already full. A full/stuffed feeling is not natural. Full makes us sluggish, sleepy, and uncomfortable. A satisfied feeling gives us energy and a sharp mind. But, don’t take my word for it. You try it!

Tips for eating slowly:
1. Take time to enjoy the flavors of your food.
2. Flavors become more noticeable when you chew your food well. Remember what your mother said about chewing your food? At least 20 times is what I heard.
3. Lay your fork/sandwich down between bites. Take time to savor that bite. If you’re with someone, engage in conversation between bites.
4. Get out of the attack mode when eating. Eating a meal like you’re an animal attacking its prey is “animalizing”! That plate of food is not going anywhere. No one is going to steal it if you don’t eat it in a hurry.

Summary:
When you eat fast, you go right past “satisfied” and become full and stuffed. When you eat slowly, satisfaction comes before the full feeling. Chew your food well and stop eating when you’re satisfied.


Jayne Benkendorf, editor
The Rebel
www.HealthfulFood.com

Copyright 2009

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Try new things!



How many wonderful fruits and veggies has God made that you have not ever tried? I know I still have many, many to try. I know that when you walk into the produce section it may seem a bit scary. Don't be afraid to grab the nearest "helper" in the store. Ask questions, or heck just grab some funny looking stuff, read the name, then take it home and google how to make something out of it. You will be suprised how interesting alot of it can be. With it being in the produce section, it usually doesn't cost too much and is a whole lot better for you than the packaged stuff. For instance, a Jicama is a Mexican potato. It is a root that you peel. I cut mine into sticks. It is sweet and crunchy. A perfect fix for those with the "crunchies." Joshua's Papaw introduced me to this a couple of years back. I also like to eat turnips with him too. Toss a little salt on top and it is the perfect saltly snack! Here is a picture of me and the kids plucking brussel sprouts off the stalk. It was only $1.99 for the whole thing and the kids loved helping me out. I was able to fill a gallon bag 3/4 of the way full with the brussel sprouts. You are most likely thinking that these all sound SO gross. Well, get out there try something ELSE new and share with me. Challenge me to try something new too!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

What counts as aerobic exercise?

Aerobic means with Oxygen. So you need to get your heartrate in a range that you can still breath easily but still make your workout worth while.

Here is how you can figure out your Age Predicted Target Heart Rate (THR):

220-Your AGE = AGEPredicted Max Heart Rate(APMHR)
220-28=192

Take your APMHR, multipy by 60% for lower level.
192*0.6=115.2

Take your APMHR, multiply by 85% for upper level.
192*0.85=163.2

So, 115 to 163 is my upper and lower level APMHR. This is a pretty broad range, but this allows for anyone my age to acheive their Target Heart Rate in order to be effective and efficient in their workouts.

If you want to get your specific Target Heart Rate, then you will want to find out your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). You will do this by taking your pulse for 15 secs. as soon as you wake up in the morning and multiply the number you get by 4. You can take it for 60 seconds, but it is more common to err when doing so. This should be a pretty low number considering you just woke up and have been in a resting state.


220-Your AGE = APMHR - RHR = Heart Rate Reserve
220-28=192 - 42= 150

Take your APMHR subtract RHR, multipy by 60% for lower level, then add back your RHR
150 * 0.6 = 90 + 42 = 132 lower

Take your APMHR subtract RHR, multiply by 85% for upper level, then add back your RHR
150 * 0.85 = 127.5 + 42 = 169.5 upper

My specific Target Heart Rate Range is 132 to 170

This range makes me have to work a little harded to stay in it, thus keeping me working at a safe, effective, and efficient heart rate for me.

What is your range?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Metabolic Training VS. Steady State Aerobics

Metabolic Training = Conditioning exercises performed with the intention of increasing the capacity and efficiency of the energy pathways to store and deliver for activity.
In Lay Men terms = conditioning exercises that causes you to react to high and low intensities that will help you store energy for use and continue durring throughout your day
Example : Interval training with weights or body weight
Circuit training on machines
Compound exercises with different types of equipment
Interval training while running, swimming, biking, etc.

Steady State Aerobics = A level of metabolism when the oxygen consumption satisfies the energy expenditure and the heart rate required for oxygen transport stabilizes
In Lay Men terms = Steady state aerobics done at a constant pace usually based off of a percentage of VO2 or Target Heart Rate Zone.
Example:Running on a treadmill or outside, Elliptical, Riding a bike, Swimming, Rowing, etc.

The question is which is better? Well, in my personal opinion a combination of the two works great for preventing boredom and plateaus. Metabolic Training is more efficient and the one I prefer, but I love a good ol' mindless run outside on a beautiful day too. If you are wanting better results in a shorter amount of time then Metabolic is the way to go. If you are maintaining then getting in your exercise should do the trick. Keep in mind that weight training is necesary for all to help prevent boneloss. A minimum of 2 times per week is my recommendation. Remember check with your doctor before you start any new activities if you have previously been living a sedentary lifestyle.

Monday, January 12, 2009

What's in your pantry?


Good question! Not a whole lot of nutritious stuff I am willing to bet. And we all have it in there. The real question is what's in your pantry or fridge that you CAN'T live without? The ONE thing that would kill you to go one day even thinking about eliminating it from your daily life? Well, you can guess mine...chocolate. I love it and I always will. You want to hear the good news?! I am not asking you to cut that out at all. Keep it...that's right enjoy that. Here's the catch...a lot of that other junk needs to go. So I am going to challenge you to go through your pantry, fridge, freezer, and other miscellaneous hiding places that we all stash stuff. Get rid of it. You don't need it. If you can't justify wasting it then at least throw out ONE thing. You can do it. This week I am giving up my sweet temptation of ice cream before bed time and replacing it with the Peppermint Tea. I love it! It is very refreshing and perfect for this time of year. Even better I am saving calories because it is calorie free unless you sweeten it. I have tried it plain and with a little bit of honey. YUM! I tell ya, I slept so good last night. Peppermint aides in digestion too. What do you say? Can you do it?! Eliminate some junk, maybe loose some weight and find a healthier replacement even.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

All Right People...

It is January of 2009! This is your year to embrace the full concept of taking care of your body! I want to start off this blog by sharing some of my struggles and victories. Many people have commented before that weight loss or maintanence comes easy for me because I am a trainer and work out ALL THE TIME! WEll, those comments and assumptions are WAY off base. I do work out consistantly and try to eat moderately, but that doesn't mean I don't fail at these attempts from time to time. The few things I do have going for me are: I do love to exercise. The endorphines released during exercise make me feel great and give me energy to get through my day. I also love to eat fresh fruits and veggies every day. This helps in filling me up with fiber and good carbohydrates. Some things that I struggle with are: I LOVE sweets (as I am typing I am eating a piece of chocolate...I know, I know!) I also love to exercise so much that it is tempting to want to over do it to achieve better results, but I don't encourage this and I work very hard to keep an overall balance. Today my husband and I took our measurements like we have for the last 4 months. I have to say that I haven't eaten the best nor exercised as consistently as I would have ideally liked to but I have still made progress. I want to share with you that I have lost 12 inches and 17 lbs! I was thrilled to see how far I had come by just doing a little bit each day to eat better than the day before and by getting in a fair amount of exercise. Now, if you are reading this and thinking -

a) Good for you but I don't want or like to do any of that!
b) I can't do that...I just don't have good genetics.
c) I want to do it but I am not ready to change.
d) I can do it for a short time but I know I will "fall off the wagon" again, so why try.
e) I would rather peel potatoes with my teeth than to exercise or sweat.
f) I don't have time between work, kids, dinner, laundry, church, etc.
g) I don't have the luxury of going to the gym

I want you to think about this -

a) What do you want to change?
b) Why do you want to change?
c) How can you make small changes in order to see results?
d) Do I have enough faith in myself to set a goal and see it through?
e) What will motivate me to get moving?
f) What will motivate me to change how I eat?
g) Do I have someone that can help keep me accoutable?
h) Is my health suffering?

After asking yourself these questions...what are YOU going to do about it?!