Tips

Produce Pointers from 6/17/08

Fruits the don’t ripen further after being picked are grapes, citrus fruits, berries and apples.  So be sure they are mature when you choose them at the store.

Allow time for ripening of avocados, bananas, kiwi, melons, peaches, nectarines and tomatoes.  These fruits will ripen after being picked.

Leave the caps on strawberries to preserve the freshness.  This prevents water from entering the berry and diluting the flavor and texture.

Apples and other tree fruit ripen ten times faster at room temperature than in the refrigerator. If they are ripe when you buy them, be sure to refrigerate them to extend their shelf life.

Don’t freeze your mushrooms because it causes immediate deterioration.  Also, don’t stack anything on top of them.  They have no skin and bruise easily.  Do not store them in plastic bags either.  They will quickly deteriorate.

Don’t wash your fruits and veggies before storing them.

Store asparagus upright in water.

Revive your salad greens by cutting the ends off, submerge them in water for ten minutes and chill.

To prevent browning on sliced apples, avocados and bananas, sprinkle them with three parts water and one part citrus juice (orange or pineapple).

Picturing Service Sizes

A serving is: Picture:

One slice of bread A cassette tape

1/3 cup cereal, rice, pasta A tennis ball or ice cream scoop

1/2 cup cooked broccoli Ice cream scoop

1 cup salad greens Baseball

3/4 tomato juice Small styrofoam cup

1 tablespoon peanut butter Ping pong ball

3 ounces cooked meat A deck of cards

1 ounce cheese Pair of dice

Pilates improves posture and increases muscle tone without increasing bulk. It focuses on strengthening the body’s core (muscles around the abdomen and spine). Important factors for using appropriate muscles are breathing and body awareness. Pilates is a safe and great form of exercise for any fitness level.

The Pilates Breath

Inhale – fill the rib cage in all dimensions

Exhale – draw your ribs in and down

By doing this breathing your transverse abdominus is activated and will act as an ab brace having a “corset” effect

Imprint/Neutral

Imprint is activating your abs to support your back. It involves a pelvic tilt, when you are lying down there should be no space between the small of your back and the floor.

Neutral is the position we are desiring to get to work in. Increased core strength will accomplish this.

During Pilates, think about: working in your Transverse, the “ab brace”, head and neck placement and shoulder and ribcage placement.

Toe Taps

Lie on the floor, bring one leg up at a time to tabletop position, finding your imprint. Then lower one toe at a time towards the floor. This is an ab andhip stability exercise. Only lower each toe as low as you can maintain imprint. If your 6-pack layer pops up, you have lowered too far.

Modification: Sit in a chair or on a stability ball and march your feet slowly and controlled. Keep abs tight and control your hips.

Shoulder Stabilization Exercises

Lie on the floor and with knees bent. Reach your fingertips toward the ceiling. Punch up towards the ceiling then lower squeezing shoulder blades together. Keep elbows straight.

Scissor Arms one at a time but don’t go so far that your ribs pop up.

Pulse arms toward each other (palms facing in).

Take arms out wide to the sides with a slight bend in your elbows, then hug a large tree drawing your hands toward each other.

*Keep lots of isometric energy through your arms. Tighten them while you work but relax your shoulders and neck!

Sidelying Exercises

Lay on your side, with head and neck resting on outstretched bottom arm. Keep a long line from top fingertip to toes. Keep your top rib lifted to activate your obliques.

Point both feet, lift the top leg to a little higher than hip height. Flex the foot and lower the leg back down. Point, Lift, Flex, Lower.

Leg circles- ten one way then ten the other. One set with pointed foot, one set with foot flexed. Keep the energy reaching through the leg to the foot.

Lift top leg, bring bottom leg to meet it, then lower both legs. Keep both obliques activated as you do this.

Hip Stability Exercises

You can do these seated or lying down.

Knees are bent. Place both hands or a ball between your knees. Keep pressure on the object between your legs and pulse towards it for three counts. Then just hold for a count and then pulse for three–and so on.

Use a belt or theraband or other object to go on the outside of your legs at the knees and hold taut against it. Pulse against it for three counts and hold for a count.

Use good judgement on these exercises. You are the only one who knows your body. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. We’ll modify a different way for you!

Swimming

Sitting or standing, reach both arms overhead and flutter them (very small range of motion). This works on back extension, opening up your collarbone and chest and shoulder stability.

As an amazing complement to these exercises add a regular cardio routine (walking, elliptical, biking). Try to do something for 30 minutes, three times a week.

PRE is Perceived Rate of Exertion. Listen to your body and pay attention to how you are feeling, your heart rate, etc.

1 = almost no exertion

2 = at a relaxed but working pace

3 = medium intensity

4 = brisk intensity

5 = very intense; can’t talk

Vary the intensity of your cardio workout by following the format below.

Minutes PRE

0-5 2

6-8 3

9-10 4

11-13 2

14-16 3

17-18 4

19-20 2

21-22 3

23-24 4

25-30 2

Don’t underestimate the chance of recurrence

When was the last time you felt truly hungry?

Because people get in the habit of eating at certain times and food is so plentiful, people tend to eat even if they’re not hungry.

Strategies for observing your body’s hunger hints:

When feeling hungry ask yourself how long it’s been since you ate. Is your stomach growling or are you just bored? Instead of eating right away, wait five minutes. If hunger pains persist or get stronger, then you’re probably actually hungry. If hunger pains go away, it was a false alarm.

After you decide that you’re truly hungry, eat slowly. Eat a little bit then reassess your hunger. Do you feel satisfied? Could you walk away and feel okay? If not, keep eating slowly until you feel satisfied.

If your hunger is false, think about how you are feeling. Are you mad, bored, stressed, sad or even happy? figure out why you want food, then do something else you enjoy.

Another helpful tool is analyzing your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10.

1 = you are empty. Don’t let yourself get here as you might overindulge or eat everything in sight!

5 = you are satisfied. Not hungry, not full, just right (like the baby bear). This is where you want to be most of the time.

7 = full. Pressure from overeating.

10 = stuffed. This is very uncomfortable. Definitely avoid this level.

Information on the Tips page is written by The Pink Essentials staff and may not be work written by Amber Downing.