As I sit here writing this at 8:30pm, I think I could use a cup of coffee or maybe just need to get to bed. Today was National Coffee Day; I hope you got to pick up a free cup in your city.

People always seem very confused about coffee; is it good to drink, bad to drink?? I can tell you that I have a cup (a big mug) every morning. How else do you think I could get up at 4:10am for the past 4 years!

I think coffee, like most things, is fine in moderation. If you are drinking a pot or two a day by yourself you may want to consider cutting back.

One thing I have heard some of my trainer friends tell their clients is, if you are going to drink coffee, drink it to help your workout. Drink it about 30 minutes or so before your workout so you can use the energy boost to get a better workout in.

Here are some other benefits that have come about in different studies. By no means are these guaranteed to absolutely be true but it is what they are finding when studying the effects.

Coffee may reduce the risk of the following;

Alzheimer’s disease

gallstone disease

Parkinson’s disease

Cancer (certain types)

Gout in men over 40

Type 2 diabetes

** Coffee has been found to have antioxidants, magnesium and chromium which all help use insulin and control blood sugar.

For every benefit of coffee I am sure there is a study discussing the down sides. On National Coffee day enjoy a cup and think about using your coffee habit to better your daily workouts. Remember exercise and healthy eating is the best way to ensure a healthy body :)

How are your knees?

Many of my clients over the years have had knee issues, at some point in your workout career or general daily life we will most likely experience knee pain. Often an exercise mat, even folding it in half, doesn’t give them the support they need.

Bang it on a table, too much running, health issues, skiing accident….

Many things can bring knee pain and many times once you have it, it tends to stick around.

One of my clients showed me an article from Sunday’s paper (Chicago Tribune…I think) about a little gadget that can help relieve knee pain when you are doing exercises that require you to put pressure on your knees such as modified push ups, glute presses and spinal balance.

I had her send me the link and these actually look pretty cool. They can be used for anything, not just working out (even though we should all be exercising!!). My first thought was how my knees kill after sitting on our hardwood floors to help my daughter with a project; these can be helpful around the house as well.

They also show a small wedge to help relieve wrist pain when you are doing an exercise that requires pressure on your wrists, push ups, planks, renegade rows…

If you are avoiding certain exercises or not working out at all because of pain check it out.

NO, I have no part of the company (wish I thought of it!) but wanted to pass along the info :)

dodfitness

Here’s to your knee health ~ Cheers!

I’ve been hearing whispers about Chia seeds and how it is the “new” super food.
You know the saying things that are old are now new again, well that’s a definite with these tiny little seeds.

Dated back to the Aztec Indians (pre-Columbian Era; before European Influence on the American Continents; aka – a LOOONG time ago!) Chia seeds were an important crop which is still grown in Mexico and Guatemala.

A friend of mine introduced me to them earlier this summer. I tried a sample of them and liked the crunch they added to my dish but didn’t really look too much into them.

I ran across them again the other day at the grocery store. I bought a container of them to take a closer look.

These rumors may be true; they sure do seem like THE super food. Check out what is packed in these tiniest of seeds:

• 1 serving (2 scoops according to my jar) = 156 calories

• Omega-3 Fatty Acid (Alpha Linoleic Acid) – 6.1g

• Omega 6 Fatty Acid (Linoleic Acid) – 2g

• Total Carbs = 10.5g

• Dietary Fiber = 10.4g! That’s 42% of the daily value base of 2,000 calories.

• Protein = 6.3g

• Calcium = 30%

• Iron = 25%

After looking around on line Chia seeds are even surpassing blueberries when it comes to antioxidant activity as well as helping to keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control.

Not bad for a seed.

What do you do with these seeds? You can sprinkle them on your food, mix into a smoothie and if you are really inspired grind them up to mix in with flour and use when baking.

My experience with the Chia seed is very new but here are a few ways I have incorporated them into my diet.

Mix them into my morning oatmeal.

Sprinkle on a salad.

Sprinkle onto peanut butter sandwich.

Mix into a protein shake.

Take another look at the Chia seed; it’s an easy way to incorporate something really good for you into your daily diet with ease and not a lot of fuss.

And yes, I think these are the same seeds as in Chi-Chi-Chi-Chia but don’t order a planter of your favorite character or shape to get them, buy the ones at the grocery store.

PS – when you eat them they get a gelatin like bubble around them so be sure to check your teeth 

What’s most amazing about this video is that I shot it wearing shorts after a beautiful warm run on the lake. I’m now sitting here typing this in long pants and a sweatshirt. If you are in Chicago (or anywhere in the Midwest) you feel my pain! C’mon already with some sun and nice weather.

Anyway… I have a hard time getting myself to do yoga on a regular basis. I enjoy the poses, the stretch it gives me and how it’s made my body feel better in the past. Still, even with the benefits I have a hard time committing to a 90 or even 60 minute class where I am supposed to be quiet and centered. I’d much rather run, punch, kick, lunge and burpee my way through an hour.

I’ve started incorporating some basic yoga into my stretching routine after my runs. I think it really helps relieve my tight muscles more than a traditional sitting on the ground stretch and really helps the hips and lower back.

Use the moves here for a post-run or post-workout stretch. If you would like to do a little more yoga on your own you can also use this series as a workout. Instead of flowing pose to pose do a flow from downward dog-plank-crocodile-upward dog-downward dog between each pose for a longer and more intense yoga session.

Example: Flow - Runner’s lunge - Flow - Runner’s lunge/Warrior I - Flow - Runner’s lunge/Warrior I/Warrior II - Flow….

You build on the series by repeating the move you did before and adding a new one on each time after you move through your flow of down dog to up dog and back to down dog.

Hope this all makes sense.

Have a great week and I hope we get some more sun and warmer days ASAP! Diana

Finally…here it is, some of my favorite exercises. Sorry, I’m getting this out about a week late but it took a few tries to get the video done and then editing issues that I’m very new at!

There are all kinds of exercises out there to choose from. One question I always get is, “What’s the best cardio exercise or leg exercise or ‘fill in the blank’ best exercise?”. The best exercise is something you like to do and you will work hard at. If you hate squats but love lunges (like me) then do the exercise you like and do it HARD!

I tend to stick with old school moves. I see a lot of new moves that come out all the time in magazines or shows but lots of times when I try them they’re just…OK. I think some of them are for looks, not for “looks”. As in, that looks really cool to do but will my arms look smok’n hot after doing these. Do what works even if its now new and fancy.

If any of these are new to you or you’ve just forgotten about them amongst the mounds of magazine pages you have, try them out in 2011. Happy New Year!