“Chest Opener”
February 22, 2010
February is a month where love is in the air. We have Valentines this month. Not only is it a great idea to spend the 14th with your loved one, but also, take time and do something special for yourself. Why? You have to love yourself first before you can share your love with anyone else.
Here I have selected to show you a chest opener for this month. Love comes from the heart, so lets open our chest and allow our hearts and love to flow freely. 
Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose is an excellent chest opener. Lying flat on your stomach with your hands placed next to your chest. On an inhalation begin lifting your upper body, from the back and shoulder blades. Then press down into the floor and lift your body higher. Keep your eyes focused downward, as the head should be the last part that rises. The elbows remain in towards the ribs and the glutes should not be tight. It is common to want to squeeze through the glutes to get a higher lift, but they should be relaxed. All five toes from each foot should be flat and pressing towards the ground.
This pose should not be done if you are pregnant, have headaches, or back injuries. Cobra Pose will help strengthen the spine as well as stretches thru the chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen. It can help reduce stress and fatigue.
Namaste.
“Heart Healthy Habits”
February 15, 2010
I have created a top 10 list for you to enjoy about easy and healthy habits you can create and your heart will benefit.
1. Sodium Check – the recommended daily intake for sodium is 1,300mg. Many processed products are very high in sodium. Think about eating more natural products versus man-made products. (FYI – a Whopper has 1,310mg of sodium – a full day’s worth of sodium)
2. Hydrogenated Oil – it is best to eat food with no partially hydrogenated oils or trans fat on the nutrition label. Note: products can say that they have zero trans fat if it is .5g or less.
3. Calcium – according to a Harvard Study, people with low calcium in their diet have more calcium in the smooth muscle cells and that makes the arteries constrict and raise blood pressure. Study shows you can get calcium – 3 servings from low fat yogurt or low fat milk to satisfy the calcium requirement.
4. Nutritional Value: read the labels on products. It should have 20% or less of RDA for carbohydrates and aim for 5grams of fiber. This is especially important if blood-glucose is high.
5. Good Lifestyle – unfortunately good habits do not just cancel out the bad habits. For example, if you are smoking and not exercising but you think by eating fruits and vegetables, it will balance out, you are wrong.
6. Good Fats: fat-free doesn’t mean it is better than low fat. Many times fat-free foods add sugar and sodium in attempt to make the product taste good. Both monounsaturated fats like olive, canola, and peanut oils and polyunsaturated fats like in salmon, nuts and flaxseed can even lower cholesterol. Approximately 30% of calories can be from healthy fats.
7. Down time: it is important to leave yourself quiet time daily. Those who do not, have a higher risk for anxiety, mental stress, and potential chronic heart stress. As little as ten minutes a day can make a significant difference.
8. Legumes: try eating legumes 4 times a week and it can reduce risk of cardio vascular disease by 22% according to a large-scale study from Tulane University. Lentils are rich in soluble fiber and can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol.
9. Whole Grains: three servings of whole grains per day rather than one serving can reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 30%, according to the Iowa’s Women’s Study.
10. Tea Time: both green and black tea are high in flavonoids, which can inhibit the clumping of platelets, blood clotting cells. This can prevent constriction in the arteries, which controls blood pressure and maintains normal blood flow.
**If you would like additional training, nutrition, and healthy living tips, you can visit LauraMak.com for more inside secrets. Be sure to sign up for our FREE weekly ezine, Mondays with Mak Attack Fitness, created for the health conscious fitness enthusiast who wants to feel good on the inside and look great on the outside!
“Cardio Program – 4 weeks 5lbs”
February 8, 2010
Here is a challenging cardio program that you can do for the next month and drop 5 lbs.
Remember there are three pieces to the fitness pie – cardio, weight training, and nutrition. This program will only work if you are weight training 2-3 days a week as well as eating 4-5 meals per day that are full or lean protein, fresh fruits and veggies, and a few complex carbohydrates. All three components play an important role in weight reduction. This is a safe way to lose the weight and keep it off for good.
5lb Cardio Program – 5 days /week – pick 2 rest days
Days 1, 3, and 5
Treadmill Speed 3.5-3.7 Incline 0-7.5
30 minutes total – Incremental
5 minutes warm up @3.5
5min @ 3.7 Incline 2.5
5 min @3.7 Incline 5.0
5min @3.7 Incline 7.5
5 min @3.5 Incline 0
Days 2 and 4
Eliptical – with arms
Warm up 5 min speed 55-65rpms
20 minutes keep rpms between 75-85bpm
Cool down 5 min bring rpm 55-65
Be sure to share your results with me. Enjoy this heart healthy workout or share it with your Valentine too!
“Where are the hidden Antioxidants?”
February 3, 2010
Just recently I hired a “Concierge Doctor” – like the one based off the television show “Royal Pains”. (My doctor is actually the one the show was modeled after!) The cool part about working with this doctor is I was given the “Presidential Fitness Test” – one like President Obama was given to assess his health and fitness levels. 
The results showed a few outstanding discoveries. One significant outcome detailed that I was low in antioxidants. This surprised me because I eat a diet full of the well-known antioxidants and take a supplement. I have done a little research to find other ways to incorporate antioxidant rich diet.
According to Joe Vinson, PhD, analytical chemist from University of Scranton who specializes in the antioxidant levels in foods, “You can’t just eat blueberries every day and think you’re covered.” Here are five excellent food sources that you may not typically think of as high in antioxidants.
1. Popcorn – has four times more polyphenols- the powerful cancer fighting plant compounds – that is the average amount found in fruits. Vinson’s results showed this was based on air-popped popcorn, not movie popcorn.
2. Whole Grain Pasta – don’t be fooled by imitation – this is pasta that has whole wheat listed in the first three ingredients. It has three times more antioxidants than the enriched or refined products.
3. Eggs – are not considered a commonly rich source of the antioxidant lutein, good for the eyes, but one yolk filled with lutein is absorbed three times more effectively than ¼ cup of spinach. According to Johnson, USDA researcher from Tufts University, “Spinach and other green leafy vegetables are still the best source, but whole eggs are another easy way to get more lutein.”
4. Yogurt – ¼ cup of low fat yogurt (greek yogurt is my favorite) provides about 25% of Vitamin B Riboflavin. While not an antioxidant itself, riboflavin promotes antioxidant activity, and should be replenished in the body daily as it is a water soluble vitamin and only stays in the body a few hours.
5. Canned Beans – small red beans have the highest amount of antioxidants followed closely by the darker canned beans such as dark red kidney beans and black beans. According to Mark Brick, PhD, Colorado State University, they have three times more phytochemicals, plant compounds, than white kidney beans.
Continue to enjoy a regular nutrition program filled with colorful fruits, veggies, and nuts. In addition you may want to incorporate a few of the above mentioned “uncommon sources” of antioxidants.
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