Showing posts with label bok choy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bok choy. Show all posts

Friday, September 2, 2011

Day 23 - The Health Benefits of Using A Treadmill

I lost another lb which brings it up to 19 lbs lost in 23 days.  I feel really good and energetic.  I have been walking every day and today I will be dancing to the Wii Dance 1. Today I will be blogging about the treadmill.  I don't own a treadmill but I have gone to the gym a few times and have used the treadmill. I liked using it and if I had the room to have it set up all the time, I would purchase one.  There are many benefits of using a treadmill and here are some of them.


Everyone wants to get healthy and stay in shape. This goal can sometimes seem quite elusive. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything we want to do, and our fitness regimen often falls by the wayside.
However, to fully enjoy life and get the most out of it, we NEED to be in shape.  Exercise is the lifeblood of our existence. It gives us energy, stamina, and even happiness. It’s time we all started exercising daily, even if it’s only for a little bit at a time.


The easiest way to do this is with a treadmill at home. But treadmills aren’t only good for reminding you to exercise and making it convenient, there are plenty of wonderful health benefits that come with using this kind of home fitness machine.


Here are the top 5 health benefits of daily treadmill workouts:

1.   Treadmills improve cardiovascular health.
This means using them makes your heart stronger. A strong heart will, in turn increase the blood flow throughout your body, revitalizing every part of you. This includes helping you breathe better, heal faster, and even think more clearly.

2.  Treadmill walking easily burns calorieshelping you to lose weight.
The longer you stay on it, the more calories you burn, and the leaner you can become. As you get more fit and can endure more, you can even pump up the intensity of your workouts to lose even more weight. If you workout regularly, you can be sleek and slim, just like you’ve always wanted.[ReviewAZON asin="B000BGMFHO" display="inlinepost"]

3.  Treadmill workouts can help you sleep better.
It’s a proven fact that lack of exercise will keep you up at night. A good workout on the treadmill during the day will put your body in the right state to sleep deeply that night, and can be wonderful for curing insomnia. Just remember to not exercise within 2 hours of going to bed because that can keep you up as well.

4.  A treadmill workout relieves stress and helps eliminate depression.
In fact, exercise is one of the best stress relievers on the planet, and many doctors say it’s more effective than any medication for mild to moderate depression and anxiety. A little bit of time on the treadmill each day can really boost your mood and improve your outlook in a profound way.

5.  Workouts help ease the symptoms of diabetes.
Regular walking, including walking on a treadmill, regulates blood sugar levels and increases insulin sensitivity in your muscles. Many people who use a treadmill regularly have been able to reduce their diabetes medications with the help of their doctor.
You should try it, too!






Benefits to Diabetics


Treadmills are a great way to encourage people to exercise regularly, and regular exercise is a very important factor in controlling insulin levels in type 2 diabetics. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry regular exercise decreases blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. The combination of diet and exercise is the best way to control diabetes symptoms in patients that are not insulin dependent. Each patient should consult their doctor before starting their exercise routine because exercise that is too intense can actually raise blood sugar levels.

Exercising for less than 20 minutes at a time usually causes the liver to release stored glucose for fuel, but a session of at least 20 minutes is more beneficial because it causes the muscles to take in glucose for fuel and lowers overall blood glucose levels. Using a treadmill for regular exercise often allows patients to lower their blood glucose levels enough that their medication levels can be adjusted down or eliminated. Working out regularly also helps to regulate the hormones that induce sleep and allows the patient to sleep better. Regular sleep cycles are another factor that helps keep blood sugar levels in the body stable.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your exercising in whatever you choose to use to help you with your weight loss or maintenance.  Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Day 21 - Staying On The Diet and Getting Healthy!!


Here it is another day and another 1 lbs.  I have now lost 18 lbs in 21 days.  Not bad at all.  I am really learning about each vegetable and their health benefits.  These are food items I had been consuming but only as a side dish.  I knew vegetables are good for you especially carrots, but I never realized how beneficial they are until I started reading more about it.  If you have noticed I have not included potatoes.  I love potatoes!!  I will be reading more on their health benefits before I include them in my daily diet.  I know that potatoes has alot of starch and I did not want to add them to my food groups I have now.  

I started out with green apple juice.  Boy, it is so delicious having it in the morning to begin my day!  

Here is the recipe for my Bok Choy juice. I made this for lunch and dinner.

8 leaves of Bok Choy
1 cucumber
5 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 large tomato

It made a delicious green drink.  Dark green vegetables are very good for us.  Read on the health benefits of Bok Choy.





In structure, bok choy resembles collards and could be described as a non-heading cabbage (Acephala group). It is basically a small plant which grows upright from the ground with smooth white romaine lettuce like stalks which spread in the end to fine, glossy green oval or round leaves. Fully grown up plant may reach about 12-18 inches in length.
Brassica campestris group can be further categorized according to the color of the petiole in its leaves. White petiole varieties include joi choi, pak-choy white, prize choi, lei choi, taisai, canton pak choi…etc. Green petiole types are chinese pak choi green, mei qing choi…etc.

Health benefits of bok choy

  • It is one of the rare vegetable that is very low in calories. However, it is very rich source of many vital phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
  • 100 g of bok choy provides just 13 cal. It is one of the recommended vegetable in the zero calorie or negative calorie category of foods which when eaten would add no extra weight to the body but in-turn facilitate calorie burns and reduction of weight.
  • Like other brasisca family vegetables, bok choy contains certain anti oxidant plant chemicals like thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulforaphane and isothiocyanates. Along with dietary fiber, vitamins these compounds help to protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood.
  • Fresh pak choi is an excellent source of water soluble antioxidant, vitaminC (ascorbic acid). 100 g provides 45 mg or 75 % of daily requirements of vitamin C. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals. 
  • It has more vitamin A, carotenes, and other flavonoid polyphenolic anti-oxidants than cabbage, cauliflower...etc. Just 100 g of fresh bok choy provides 4468 IU or 149% of daily required levels vitamin A.
  • Pak choi is very good source of vitamin K, provides about 38% of RDA levels. Vitamin-K has potential role in bone metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in bone cells. Therefore, enough vitamin K in the diet makes your bone stronger, healthier and delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin-K also has established role in curing Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.
  • Fresh bok choy has many vital B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine (vitamin B6), riboflavin, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish.
  • It also contains good amount of minerals like calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iron and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzymesuperoxide dismutase. Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.
Thanks for stopping by and being part of my Fresh Start Journey program.  Have a blessed day!!


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