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The Question:

Which of the following measurements represents the correct amount of sodium an adult should aim to consume in a day?
a)1/8 teaspoon
b)1/2 teaspoon
c)1 teaspoon
d)1 tablespoon

Answer: C. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, most people should keep sodium intake at 2,300 milligrams per day or less. That’s about the amount found in one small teaspoon measurement.

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For many of us “getting in shape” is a prominent New Years goal, but how many people become flustered on where to start? BOOTCAMPS have been becoming an increasingly popular for of fitness training all across the lower mainland. The camps appeal to people because they are intense and effective. You train three or five days a week for usually 4-6 weeks (depending on the camp) and with the amount you train the cost works out to be less than a one and one training session with a personal trainer. Speaking from personal experience of a 5am bootcamp – you see results. I found that I worked harder in my bootcamp then I have ever worked on my own. “When you have a bootcamp trainer with you, there’s no guesswork involved,” says Allan Fine – runs camps in Edmonton. Ted Loo fitness will be starting their first bootcamp this spring.
- Contributed by Natasha Todhunter

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Childhood obesity is a rising concern among our society today. A recent study of 7 year old children has found that sleeping less than nine hours a night was actually associated with being overweight or obese, after accounting for the amount of TV watching and exercise. Along with obesity short sleep duration was in relation with mood swings although it did not have an effect on IQ scores or attention/hyperactivity disorder. This study was conducted in New Zealand and thus perhaps we need to the same study to be replicated in Canada and/or the US to determine if the same results are present. We need to take whatever knowledge we have and use it to conquer the rising numbers of childhood obesity.

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Exercise during pregnancy is a BENEFICAL activity for the mother to be!! Some of the benefits include less weight gain, no stretch marks, easier to lose that baby fat after the fact, decreased labor time, better sleep patterns, less chance of depression. Remember that every mother is different and the intensity of allowed exercise will vary in every woman. The best bet would be to discuss with your doctor an exercise plan that will carry you throughout your nine months.

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New ways of training are appearing every day. Gone are the days where one goes to the gym and uses ONLY barbells and weights in their workouts. Don’t get me wrong they are a crucial part to most training however it is always nice to have a change once in a while. More and more emphasis is being put on functional training as opposed to simply strength training. Functional training involves tools such as resistance bands and bosu balls incorporated into your workout. An example may be as follows. If you have worked your back and shoulders with weights do some functional training with your lower body. An example may be knee drives while holding a swiss ball with resistance bands around your ankles. You are working your core by holding yourself up from the swiss ball as well as by driving your knees forward – added to that resistance are the bands that are attached to your ankles. Another example of using resistance bands in your work out may be to do a chest press in a forward lunge position but with resistance bands. For more examples of how you can add variation into your workout with these tools speak to a weight room supervisor at your gym or a personal trainer. You would be surprised with the innovation that is out there today!

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How many of us are guilty of finishing our workout, heading to the showers, and then heading home?? What step are we forgetting?? You got it – the cool down. I think that some of us fail to realize how important the cool down is to our body. By continuing to move about at a low intensity it allows our blood flow to redistribute itself from pooling in our extremities as well as bring down our heart rate. By decreasing our heart rate your blood pressure is going to decrease and systems such as digestion will begin to function yet again. If you fail to cool down your heart rate will remain elevated for longer periods of time (which is not beneficial) and you may obtain greater muscle soreness and stiffness than if you had taken 1 0minutes to do a nice easy cool down.

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It’s a common New Years goal – you know the one I’m talking about – lose that 15lbs of Christmas comfort food. Here are a few simple tips to help you stay on that path of dedication:
1. Write your goals down
2. Focus on positive self talk instead of barraging yourself with negative thoughts when you deviate from your path
3. If you take a step in the wrong direction brush it off, get back on the path and start over
4. Avoid temptation –i.e. Don’t go into Purdy’s chocolates
5. Keep sticky notes in places you see daily such as your bathroom mirror, the fridge, by the door – reminding yourself of your goals

Click on the Ted Loo Fitness Newsletter Archive to get more tips

Rest Ice Compression Elevation

How many of us recognize these four basic steps to an acute joint or muscle injury but still choose to ignore it? It’s common following an injury for someone to want to go soak in a hot tub, have a nice bath, or put heat rub on the injury. This is the first step you want to take.

Let us use an ankle sprain as an example. In this situation Ice and Elevation are our friends. When you sprain your ankle the blood is rushing to the site of injury which is causing the inflammation, swelling and pain. By icing and elevating your ankle you are going to slow the rate at which blood is flowing to the injury and the swelling will begin to decrease. If you fail to ice the injury the increased pressure occurring to the tissues may result in MORE damage than the initial mechanism. You will want to ice your ankle at least 2 or 3 times a day for 48 to 72hours for at least 15 minutes each time. So the next time you twist your ankle sliding into home plate to win the game please resist the urge to jump in that hot tub for the celebratory party and take the time to put your foot up with an ice pack. You want to be able to play in the championship round don’t you?

2 Tbsp lowfat milk
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 medium banana, cut into quarters
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
8 slices (1/4 inch each) banana

Directions:
1. Place milk, sugar, vanilla, and banana in blender. Process for 15 seconds at high speed until smooth

2. Pour mixture into small bowl and fold in yogurt. Chill.

3. Spoon into four dessert dishes and garnish each with two banana slices just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings, Calories: 94, Total Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Protein: 1g, Carbs: 18g

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I just want to acknowledge a couple of my clients. Harry is 49 & John is 52 years old and they both made it through a brutal workout today. They completed 500 squats, 200 push ups and 100 chin ups. They did 10 sets of 50 squats, 20 push ups and 10 chin ups with a one minute rest at the end of each set before repeating.

John put it in perspective with the observation of “when I started with you less than a year ago I could only do 5 push ups!”

Congratulations boys! Be proud.

Ted