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Prescriptive Health's Newsletter
SPRING 2012 |
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QUOTE of the Season | |
"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."
~Doug Larson |
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FISH OIL BENEFITS |
Besides smelling fishy, fish oils are VERY good for you! (If you put them in the freezer they don't smell anymore). Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats necessary for proper body functioning. The benefits of fish oils range from heart health, arthritis relief, and mental health. Click here for the full article. |
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG EARLY |
With the very mild winter we had in the Northeast, I am a little nervous about the upcoming seasons. However, nothing can compare to last summer's tornadoes, earthquake, and hurricane!
Lately it's been so warm during the day, that our bulbs are starting to bloom. Today I noticed our crocusses are UP, and our tulips are about 10" high already. I cannot wait to see what the landscaper planted this year!
Spring always brings new life, and beauty to every day. Yes, it also brings rain and mud, but there is something soothing about the smell after a rain. It's refreshing! Spring is here! Let's enjoy the newness.
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CHICORY - WHAT IS IT? |
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Chicory |
Ever see these leaves in your salad? Or maybe sauteed on your plate in a restaurant? How about ground up and used as a coffee alternative? This is chicory. It is a vegetable packed with health benefits.
Chicory is cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, a probiotic, laxative, and diuretic. Chicory is useful for conditions with an elevated heart rate (atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, and arrhythmias) and to treat blood clots. Thus, it helps prevent against cardiovascular disease. The root is full of fiber so it reduces constipation and aids digestion. Because chicory has anti-inflammatory properties, it is also useful for treating osteoarthritis and gout. It also improves liver, kidney, and gallbladder function.
 | | Chicory Flower |
Although this little vegetable has health benefits and is considered generally safe, there are some potential side effects. If placed directly on the skin for anti-inflammatory purposes, a skin rash may be possible. Chicory is said to stimulate the uterus so it may cause menstruation. Also, it has a sedative effect by lowering heart rate.
BOTTOM LINE: Consider safely adding chicory to your diet for heart health, to aid digestion, and to reduce inflammation. Please also consult with a physician if you feel you might be at risk for any of these side effects. |
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THE BENEFITS OF COMPOUND EXERCISES |
What are compound exercises? Well, let me explain. Compound exercises are those exercise that use multiple joints, muscles, body parts, etc. Basically, exercises that use your whole body, or close to it. Everything we do in nature uses more than one muscle group at a time. Traditional exercise has focused on single joint exercises (i.e. machine bicep curl, leg extension, etc.). Try to find one movement you do in daily life that requires you to move only ONE joint. There are very few! Even a bicep curl - if done standing, requires ab contraction, some chest muscle contraction, and low back stability. Yes - you get all that from one exercise! Single joint in nature, but because you are standing and supporting your body weight - you are working other muscles.
Compound exercises concentrate on MOVEMENTS rather than MUSCLES. It's not about building up a certain muscle as much as it is improving FUNCTION. When you're 80 years old it's more important to be able to squat (& stand up again!) than it is to bench press 300lbs!
Your body is a bunch of links - muscles & bones connected. We are only as strong as our weakest link. If we only train one "link" at a time, they wont' know how to function together. Thus, we end up with muscle imbalance, aches, and pains. The WHOLE body must be trained together in order to work together. Why is this important?
Isolation of a muscle rather than a movement can lead to muscle dysfunction. For example - seated leg extension exercise (seated, knees bent - straighten your legs out then bend knees again) - this makes your quads strong. Great! BUT, only when you are SEATED & kicking! Can you think of anything you do while you are seated & kicking your leg out? I didn't think so. Now, if you were to do a squat exercise - THIS is functional! Every time you sit down, you have to stand up again so you are strengthening your quads in movement rather than isolation.
Other than functional gains, there are other benefits to compound exercises.
- Save time in the gym because you work out your whole body each session
- Burn more calories per session because you are using more muscle groups
- Gain more strength than if you did isolation exercises
Now you know what compound exercises are and why they are better than isolation exercises. Next time your friends tell you how much they can bench press or do on the leg extension machine - just grin and ask them how many burpees they can do in 30 seconds! : ) |
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Thank you!
Thank you for continuing to support me and Prescriptive Health. It means alot to me that health and wellness are valued and strived for. I try to live every day with the values and habits that I instill in my practice. Thank you for sharing in my quest for a healthy lifestyle. |
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Tanya Miszko Kefer, Ed.D., L.Ac.
(845) 659-6133
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