TOTD

Nutrition Tip of the Day
Substitution Tip #8 (sorry I miscounted yesterday!): Try Fresh instead of Processed foods

Processed foods are all around us, but it's time for a fresh food revolution! Fresh fruits and vegetables have more nutrients and less sodium than processed foods. Now, I know that buying fresh foods can be a little more expensive, but in a recent study published by the AMA (American Medical Association), families who ate fresh fruits and vegetables spent less on medical costs than those who primarily ate processed foods. So it may seem like more now, but over the long haul it is worth it!

Buying fresh foods doesn't necessarily mean you have to buy expensive fruits and vegetables from your grocery store. Try a local farmer's market. Here in Fresno we have a few that are throughout the week, and it makes a fun outing for the family and supports local growers. It also gives us a great time to talk to our children about healthy choices and introduces them to the plethora of wonderful fresh choices!

Exercise Tip of the Day
Breathe, Breathe, Breathe
Have you ever noticed how our natural inclination when doing something hard is to hold our breath? For instance, when lifting a box from the floor we hold our breath when picking it up. Well, this is also what many of us do when exercising and it makes it much harder! Proper breathing while exercising is essential. Breathing properly helps deliver oxygen to your working muscle cells.

When doing resistance training it is important that you breathe OUT during the hard part (usually what is called the concentric phase of the exercise). For example, when doing a bicep curl you would lift the dumbbell from below your waist towards the shoulder. It is during this phase that you would breathe out, and during the lowering phase you would breathe in. This is the rule of thumb for most exercises. Try it, and you'll be surprised at what a big difference it makes! On a side note, this is also the type of breathing they teach you to do during labor.