Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Women's Soccer Skills for Beginners
Ladies...
Interested in learning how to play soccer? Then this program is for you!
I am running a Women's Indoor Soccer Skills for Beginners at the Kitsilano Community Centre (2690 Larch Street, Vancouver, BC).
The program officially starts on OCTOBER 23rd, 2010 and runs for 6 sessions each Saturday from 2-3pm (Oct. 23rd - Nov. 27th).
The Skills class is followed by Women's Only Recreational Indoor Soccer (3:15-4:45pm) so you can put your skills into practice through regular game play.
The Skills clinic is geared towards the beginner player (women with little to no experience). The Rec Play welcomes women of all ages and all levels (beginner/intermediate). You can sign-up or drop-in for one or both programs.
You'll have fun, get fit and learn a thing or two about soccer in a friendly, supportive environment. Whether you're a soccer mom or a wannabe Pélé, now's your chance to try it out.
Contact the Kitsilano Community Centre to register at: 604-257-6976 or click on the link:
http://www.kitscc.com/.
Feel free to pass this information on to others who may be interested. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Lisa at the above email address.
Hope to see you out there!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Seven Myths About Veggies
I know you’re all preoccupied with vegetables so I thought I’d help put an end to the obsessing with this article from Yahoo!Green. Myth #5 is for you, Monica!
Is it healthier to eat raw veggies or to cook them? Is fresh broccoli more nutritious than frozen? Is eating iceberg lettuce a waste of time?
You may be surprised by the answers to these seemingly simple questions. In fact, there are several misconceptions when it comes to vegetables. The one universal truth is that most of us could be eating more of them.
As summer approaches, we have more vegetable choices than at any other time of year. Here's a guide to what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to eating your veggies.
Myth #1: Fresh vegetables are more nutritious than frozen
Fact: Studies show that sometimes you can get more nutrients from frozen veggies, depending on variety and how old the vegetables at your supermarket are. That's because produce starts losing nutrient quality as soon as it's picked.
Frozen vegetables are flash-frozen right after harvest so they are preserved at their peak of freshness when they are most nutritious. Your best bet in terms of taste, nutrition, and the environment is still local in-season produce. When that's not an option frozen can be a better choice (from a nutrient standpoint) than spinach that takes two weeks to reach your table.
Myth #2: Cooked veggies are less nutritious than raw
Fact: It depends on the vegetable. "Cooking destroys some nutrients, but it releases others," says Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. It destroys vitamin C and folic acid, according to Nestle, which is why it's not a great idea to cook oranges.
On the other hand, she says, cooking releases vitamin A and the nutrients in fiber and makes them easier to digest. It's also easier for your body to absorb more lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant, in cooked tomato sauce than from raw tomatoes. Steam or roast veggies instead of boiling, which leaches out water-soluble vitamins into the cooking water.
Myth #3: Iceberg lettuce doesn't have any nutrients
Fact: Iceberg lettuce is mostly water so it's hardly loaded with vitamins, but a large head does contain small amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
You'll get more nutrients from other greens that have less water such as romaine or butterhead lettuce, but contrary to popular belief, iceberg lettuce does have some nutritional value.
Myth #4: Local vegetables are always cheaper
Fact: It's certainly true that local produce can be good for your budget. This is especially true during the peak of harvest when farmers need to get rid of an abundant crop and there is a lot of competition.
However, there are no guarantees. Local food "is not in any way subsidized so you are paying the real cost of producing the food, and the economies of scale are not there," says Nestle.
Some tips for finding the best deals at your local farmers' market: Shop at the end of the day when farmers are likely to mark down their prices in order to get rid of their inventory. (Go early in the day if selection is more important than price.) Ask your farmer for a volume discount if he or she doesn't already offer one. Take advantage of special deals on bruised or overripe veggies. Prices vary from farmer to farmer so shop around before buying.
Myth #5: Potatoes make you fat
Fact: Potatoes are virtually fat-free and low in calories. These delicious and inexpensive root vegetables contain a healthy dose of fiber, which can actually make you feel satisfied for longer and help you lose weight.
It's not the potatoes themselves that make you fat. It's how you cook them and what you slather on your spuds that can cause you to pack on the pounds.
Myth #6: Bagged salads are squeaky clean
Fact: They're not nearly as clean as you may think. Consumer Reports tests found bacteria that are "common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination" in 39 percent of the 208 packages of salad greens it tested. It didn't find E. coli 0157:H7, listeria, or other disease-causing bacteria in its samples.
But it's still a good idea to give greens a good rinse to remove residual soil before eating even if the bag says they're "pre-washed" or "triple-washed."
Myth #7: Farmer's markets only have organics
Fact: Just because a vegetable (or anything for that matter) is sold at a farmers' market does not mean that it's organic. It still must be certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a guarantee that it was grown without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Some farmers will say they are in the process of getting certified, they grow crops without synthetic chemicals but can't afford the certification process, or they only use chemicals when they have no choice and don't use them when it's close to harvest time. It's your call on whether you trust that farmer.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
How Many Calories Should I Consume?
Do you really, really wanna know? Of course you do. It’s only the second-most popular question trainers get asked by their clients (the first being: “Did you say ‘Stop?’”) Therefore, because you demanded it, here it is…
So, you’re doing your boot camp classes regularly. That’s awesome. Keep it up. But even though you’re getting your exercise, you still need to watch what you put in your pie hole. To get a sense of what you’re eating, keep track for a month (you can use fitday.com or myfooddiary.com. Both online journals are free).
To get an approximate calculation of your daily caloric needs, multiply your weight in pounds by 14 if you’re doing regular activity (like boot camp 3x-4x a week). If you’re doing additional activity (5x-7x a week, moderate to high intensity) then multiply your weight by 15. And if you’re doing less exercise than mentioned above, multiply by 13.
So, let’s say Helga is 140 lbs and she goes to boot camp 3x a week. 140 x 14 = 1,960. This means that if Helga wants to maintain her 140 lbs then she can ingest 1,960 calories daily while attending her regular boot camp classes.
FYI: 3,500 calories = one pound of fat
Now, if Helga wanted to lose ten pounds at a rate of 1 pound per week, she would need to cut her daily caloric intake by 500 calories (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories = one pound of fat). Capiche?
This means that Helga would need to either eat only 1,460 calories a day (1,960 – 500 = 1,460) or continue eating 1,960 calories a day but add an additional daily exercise (45 minute run = 500 calories burned) to her workout regime in order to burn those 500 calories. And it would take her 10 weeks to do so at this rate (which is ideal as she will most likely be able to keep the weight off and maintain).
You can decide which method works best for you. Some people don’t have the time for more exercise in their daily routine so they cut the calories. Others (like myself) would prefer to do Burpees for an extra hour a day so they can keep ice cream and steak a regular part of their diet.
Just don’t obsess. Learn about your food intake, roughly how many calories you’re ingesting and proper portion sizes, etc., then do your best to maintain. All that time you spend filling in charts and measuring food you could be outside playing soccer. And remember, don’t deprive yourself. The key is balance and moderation. Once a week, indulge in a treat or a cocktail. It’s not evil and you’ll be less likely to binge (while enjoying life!)
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