During National Nutrition Month® 2005, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) educates us on the importance of nutrition and tailoring it to ourselves individually. Check out three of their key nutrition points:

Be adventurous and expand your horizons. Variety is the “spice of life” in your food choices and is key to good nutrition and health. Choose foods based on flavor, texture and colors that are tasty and healthy. Explore the wide world of nutrition by trying a variety of foods.

Treat your taste buds. You decide how much and how often. Choose foods sensibly by looking at the big picture; it’s what you eat over several days, not just one meal or day that counts. So enjoy all your favorite foods, just try eating them in moderate amounts.

Balance food choices with your lifestyle. The right balance of foods helps you get the right combination of nutrients. So balance your food choices with your physical activities to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. For example, if you have a lifestyle where you travel and are frequently on the go, prepare and plan to have snacks on hand that give you the sustained energy you need, balancing carbohydrates, proteins and fats, but don’t weigh you down. Nutritional needs are different for an athlete versus a pregnant mother versus someone with an illness. If you don’t know what special nutrient needs you might have, ask your doctor or visit the ADA website at www.eatright.org.

I like that the messages are positive, rather than a litany of “don’t eat that” rules. The focus is on possibility, that healthy eating can be fun and unique for each of us.

What could you implement this month to add more nutrition and fun to your eating habits? Peruse the cookbook aisle at the bookstore (or online) – consider one with ethnic recipes to add variety and spice to your usual fare. The next time you dine out, pass up your old standby for something new. Test out a new vegetable. Grocery stores are carrying a wider variety of produce that makes this easy. Have you ever tried baby bok choy?

Most of us get stuck in a rut with our menus and our eating habits. A little adventure can be fun and healthy.

My brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Kim, along with Samantha Mae, came for a visit over the President’s Day holiday. Okay, I’m biased. But, I think she’s got to be the cutest baby ever to inhabit the planet.

That being said, I’ve always understood that babies are a lot of work and other than the tantrum toddler in the grocery store or the lamenting of a friend with an infant, I have not first hand experienced the challenge. Even with Samantha, she cries and, if a few seconds of cajoling does not do the trick, I hand her over to mom.

Not Monday night though. I wanted to try putting her to sleep. So, into the Baby Bjorn she goes, strapped to the front of me. I never knew how physically taxing this could be – it took 40 minutes of walking and shuffle dancing in circles for her to finally nod off. I burned quite a few calories!

Having Samantha fall asleep on my chest like this was quite a treat. The reward was worth the effort. And I realize any workout I do pales in comparison to the physical demands of the day-to-day caring for a baby. I can only imagine what it will be like when she starts to walk!

To your health,

Heather Moreno
PeopleFit USA , President

In recent years, RSI (Repetitive Strain Injuries) is estimated to cost businesses $4 billion per year, while those who suffer from it are in great pain. It often produces tingling in the thumb, index and middle finger, coupled with hand and wrist pain. Sufferers may also notice a loss of grip strength.

RSI can stem from performing repetitive, small movement tasks, over and over again (think computer users). Holding a particular position for a long period of time or working in an awkward position can also cause RSI.

What results is a physiological problem that may occur anywhere along the radial nerve pathway, which spans the length of your arm. In general, the nerve may become compressed and irritated.

Once diagnosed, physical therapy, chiropractic, massage and stretching can relieve the problem. Given the pain involved and the often long recovery period, preventing it in the first place is your better bet. Follow these three tips to help prevent RSI:

1. Desk set-up. Ask your employer about ergonomic services to set up your work station properly. If you’re self employed, ask a chiropractor or physical therapist for direction on setting up your work station to ensure correct positioning.
   
2. Stretching is shown to prevent and relieve RSI. I have found the best stretching tool to use for people at risk for RSI is a Wrist Wand®. It is easy to use and takes mere seconds out of your day. And, it feels good!
   
3. Take short frequent breaks to interrupt repetitive tasks or sustained positions.

Like with all of health, prevention is the best medicine. And with RSI, prevention doesn’t take a lot of time or money! For information on ordering a Wrist Wand®, call our office today at 877-348-2100 or email heather@peoplefitusa.com.

I know, I know. Bathing suit season is not far off. While strength training doesn’t eliminate tummy fat, it is part of the training package for a strong, sexy midsection. Try these exercises to get started.

	Bicycle Crunch: This move is shown in studies to work a large portion of your midsection, including the obliques (your waist muscles). Lay on your back, alternate your left elbow towards your right knee, then your right elbow towards your left knee.
	Advanced Plank: This move uses your abdominals to stabilize your body (your glutes get a workout too). Start in a plank position (i.e. the top of a push up) with the front of your lower leg on a stability ball. Alternate lifting each foot about six inches off the ball. Keep your legs and back straight, your hips square and do not rotate. You can also do this move with your feet on the ground in a traditional plank (push up) position without the ball.
	Extended Double Crunch: Get ready for the burn! This move works your rectus abdominus from top to bottom. At the same time, lift your head and shoulders, and your rear and lower back, off of the ground. Reach your hands toward your toes.
Is the extended double crunch too difficult? Try two separate exercises:
The general rules of strength training apply: go slowly, do not use momentum, breathe (exhale on the hard part of the move, inhale on the easier part) and refrain from “resting” between repetitions. The slower you go, the harder it will be and the better your workout. Do enough repetitions so that you fatigue your muscles and could not do more with good form. Perform each of these moves 3-4 days a week and summer won’t know what hit it!

By: Susan Johnson

Trans fats are already linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. And now new research has found that these artificial fats may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Avoiding these is difficult as trans fats are not listed anywhere on a package. The FDA plans to require manufacturers to list the amount on food labels, but for most products the only way to tell if a food has trans fats is by searching for "partially hydrogenated oils" in the ingredients list. Also check for partially hydrogenated oil in foods that are labeled fat-free.

Nutrition experts admit that because trans fats travel in so many foods, it would be impossible to eliminate every trace of them. So your best strategy is to select foods with no partially hydrogenated oils when you can and limit fat intake to 25-30 percent of total calories, about 55-66 fat grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet. More importantly, limit artery-clogging fat, both saturated and trans fats, to 10 percent of total calories, or about 22 grams a day. And because trans fats are harder to track, keep your saturated fat intake below 10 percent to allow room for them.

While you want to limit these “bad fats,” there are plenty of other fat options you want to allow in your diet:

Type of fat: Monounsaturated oils
Source: Olive, peanut and canola oils
Health benefits: Reduce "bad" (LDL) cholesterol

Type of fat: Nuts/nut butters
Source: Almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamias
Health benefits: Good source of protein, fiber and polyphenols, which are a class of phytochemicals that show promise in preventing cancer and heart disease.

Type of fat: Fatty legume
Source: Peanuts/peanut butter
Health benefits: High in reseveratrol, a phytochemical also found in red wine that can reduce the risk of heart disease; also a good source of protein, fiber and polyphenols.

Type of fat: Fatty fruit
Food source: Avocados, olives
Health benefits: Terrific source of vitamin E, which fights heart disease, as well as fiber and lutein. Lutein is a phytochemical found to prevent some age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration.

Type of fat: Omega-3 fatty acids
Food source: Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, flaxseeds, walnuts
Health benefits: Fatty fish provide healthy protein and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Flaxseeds are full of fiber and show promise in fighting cancer and helping lower cholesterol. Walnuts protect the heart, fight cancer and help reduce symptoms of inflammatory diseases like arthritis.

Type of fat: Polyunsaturated oils
Food source: Corn oil, soybean oil
Health benefits: Help reduce "bad" (LDL) cholesterol

About The Author: Susan Johnson is the founder of Susan's Healthy Gourmet, which provides fresh, nutritionally balanced, and calorie-controlled meals that are individually prepared and packaged to order. To learn more you can call 1.888.396.3257 (EZ-MEALS) or visit them on the Web at www.susanshealthygourmet.com (be sure to mention Heather Moreno & PeopleFit USA when you call). You can also register for Susan's the popular online monthly newsletter, Susan's Healthy Lifestyle, at http://www.susanshealthygourmet.com/newsletter/default.asp