Nutrition

Instead of looking for the next wonder cream to help stop wrinkling or acne, check your diet first. Skincare and healthy eating are partners in a better complexion. Eating healthy can help prevent acne outbreaks, wrinkles, and aging skin. What you eat shows on your waistline, but also on your face. Here are a few dietary changes you can make to help eliminate the problems you may have.

The largest organ in your body is your skin.

Your skin is affected by your diet, and also your fitness. Good circulation creates a healthy glow and attractive skin. It also takes good nutrition to build healthy cells and keep the body functioning at its best. If you have dry skin, increase your daily water intake and juicy fruits and vegetables. You need food high in vitamins A and C, plus healthy fat. You’ll get healthy fat from eating avocados and fatty fish like salmon.

Don’t eliminate healthy oils just because you have oily skin.

The oiliness of your skin isn’t determined by how much oil you eat but by many factors. Heat and humidity of the area, your genetics, age, skin care regimen, stress, and diet are a few of these. You can’t change some factors, but you can change your diet. Drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables. Include avocado, nuts, tomatoes, whole grains, lean protein, fish, and food high in vitamin C like oranges. Coconut water and green tea are also beneficial. Avoid dairy, sugar, red meat, salt, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and sugary foods.

You can reduce the risk of acne with a healthy diet.

Acne often occurs because of hormonal changes. It’s often common in teens but can also affect menopausal women. It often goes away without treatment but can be devastating when it occurs. Eating healthier is one way to improve skin conditions and help prevent the problem. Foods that raise blood sugar rapidly can trigger acne, so avoid sugar, white bread, white rice, and pasta. High-glycemic carbs aren’t the only culprit. Chocolate, dairy, saturated fats, and trans fats may trigger it, too. Food that is high in antioxidants, vitamins A and E, and zinc helps.

• No matter what your skin type, processed carbohydrates affect your complexion. They cause inflammation that can contribute to acne and other skin conditions.
• Problem skin can benefit by boosting anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial food that improves your immune system. Food with vitamin C, like citrus or sweet red peppers, and food with zinc, such as shellfish and pumpkin seeds can help.
• Even though dairy may trigger acne flare-ups, some studies show that eating plain Greek yogurt with live bacteria may help the skin. You can even apply it to your skin. The probiotics and lactic acid it contain can help your complexion.
• If you want more vibrant skin, add tomatoes to your diet. It’s rich in lycopene, an antioxidant. Food with collagen, such as bone broth, can slow wrinkling.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

Reduced mobility varies. There are degrees of immobility and time frames for it. Whether you’re bedridden or just barely getting around with crutches, it doesn’t mean you have to give up exercise. You will have to make adjustments based on your limitations. If your mobility is affected for a longer period, a personal trainer helps. Whether you workout in a chair, in bed, or can move on your own, but not well, every minute of exercise will make you stronger and help boost your health. Always check with your healthcare professional before starting any exercise program.

Start with shorter sessions.

Whether you’re on your back in bed or sitting in a chair, you can always do something to work your muscles. Don’t try to do too much at once. You can do strength, flexibility, and endurance exercises even if you’re chairbound. Your posture affects your entire body. Bad posture can even interfere with breathing. Sit straight and focus on keeping your head erect, not too far forward or backward. Start the upper body exercise by lifting your arms at your side so the upper arms are horizontal and the forearms are vertical at a 90-degree angle. They will look like goalposts with your head in the middle. Pull your forearms backward, maintaining the 90-degree angle and squeezing your shoulder blades together as you do.

Resistance bands can take the place of an entire gym.

Resistance bands come in various sizes and styles. They’re inexpensive and easy to store. You can put them under your feet and either pull up with your hands to build upper body strength or push with your legs to build leg strength. Do back, shoulder, shoulder blade, chest, hamstring, groin, quad, and glute exercises using resistance bands.

Modify your exercises.

Most people with limited mobility can exercise in water. Your body is buoyant in water, which limits stress on the joints. The water adds up to 12 times the resistance you’d have on dry land. It works your body thoroughly. You can modify almost any exercise and do as many as you can. If you’re chairbound, move your upper body. If you have joint pain, go slowly, stopping if it hurts. Don’t forget to do stretches to warm up.

• There are classes specifically for people with mobility issues. Tai Chi is one example. It’s a mild exercise that can be beneficial for people of all fitness levels.
• Low-impact exercises are good for people with joint issues. They build strength and increase circulation to help relieve joint pain. Studies show that mild exercise can help relieve pain.
• Isometric exercises don’t require any movement. You tighten the muscles and hold. Most people think of abdominal exercises when they hear isometrics, but there are ones for every muscle and muscle group.
• You’ll feel better when you turn on happy music and do a little chair dancing. Getting exercise is all about moving, and any type will do. Even visualizing movement can help strengthen muscles.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

There are many benefits you can reap from eating certain superfoods. Eating superfoods occasionally, or even daily, won’t prevent illness or do you a significant amount of good if the rest of your diet consists of highly processed food, but is a great addition to a healthy diet. Superfoods include foods high in nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Some have significant protein content, while others have healthy fat or fiber. Superfoods offer more benefits per calorie than other foods.

These superfoods are “berry” delicious.

Whether you choose blueberries, goji berries, acai berries, elderberries, or other types of berries, you’ll get a boost of nutrients with every handful. Blueberries contain potent antioxidants from the anthocyanin it contains. Anthocyanin is what gives the blueberries their dark blue color. They are high in vitamin C and dietary fiber. They can help prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes, plus boost memory and delay age-related cognitive decline. Goji berries have 12 times the antioxidants as blueberries. Acai berries provide antioxidants and B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Elderberries are also high in antioxidants and offer similar influenza-blocking benefits as Tamiflu.

Coconuts aren’t indigenous to the islands, but they flourish here.

You can include coconut meat, oil, or coconut water in your diet to reap benefits. However, you do have to be careful in some instances. While the oil is beneficial for gut health and weight loss, consuming it daily can increase bad LDL levels. The flesh provides vitamins A and E, plus protein fiber, and other nutrients. Coconut water is a good recovery drink after a hard workout. It’s the electrolytes and carbohydrates that help boost recovery and delay fatigue.

Sweet potatoes are often overlooked but have all the nutrition to qualify as a superfood.

Most people think of baked sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows or brown sugar, which isn’t healthy. Luckily, they taste even better grilled, baked, or broiled. They contain high amounts of antioxidants, fiber, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamins A, B6, and C, potassium, and niacin. They provide heart-healthy benefits and can improve eye health, boost the immune system and boost memory.

• A juicy tomato can help prevent certain types of cancer. Those benefits increase the longer you cook it. Cooking tomatoes cut about 10% of the available vitamin C but increases the lycopene that helps prevent prostate cancer. Tomatoes reduce the risk of metabolic disease, diabetes, and heart disease.
• Kale is one of the superfoods often touted as a must for a healthy menu. It has fiber, vitamins K, C, and A, calcium, and potassium. Eating kale helps prevent cognitive decline and can help with weight loss.
• Beets are classed as a superfood due to many of their nutrients. They’re high in nitrates with help lower blood pressure and reduce insulin resistance.
• Drinking green tea with lemon several times a day can extend your life. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants. It also contains catechins that help promote weight loss.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

When you think of healthy food, does your mind automatically turn to rice cakes and cardboard-tasting dishes that offer an unusual taste you can’t describe and don’t like? It doesn’t have to be that way. Healthy foods can tickle your taste buds and make you glad you’re eating. If you cut out sugar and foods with added sugar, your sense of taste will become keener. Fruits will taste sweeter. You’ll find they can do the trick in satisfying your urge for a sweet treat.

Start out with easy dishes, like banana ice cream.

Seriously, you can make ice cream without adding sugar or milk. It only takes bananas and any other ingredients you want to add. Slice the bananas into 1-inch coins and freeze them. Toss them in the blender and blend to a creamy consistency. You can use any type of bananas, add fruit, and even a few dark chocolate bits. Fruit ice is made the same way, except using a food processor rather than a blender. Frozen strawberry yogurt made at home is another healthy indulgence you and your family will love.

It’s all about texture and the salty taste.

Do you love fries? You can boost the nutritional value of fries and reduce the calories by making baked sweet potato fries with your favorite seasoning. Cut the sweet potatoes, toss them lightly in oil, and season. You can go simple by using salt, pepper, and if you like, garlic powder. You can bake it at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. They’re even healthier when baked in an air fryer. You cut the amount of oil used to a few tablespoons and cut cooking time in half.

If you love pasta dishes, improve their nutritional profile and cut calories with zoodles.

Zoodles are noodles made from zucchini. You also can substitute eggplant or zucchini strips, large portabella mushrooms, or butternut squash slices for lasagna noodles. If you want a delicious substitute for spaghetti, consider spaghetti squash. It’s hard to cut in half, but well worth the effort. Cut it in half, scoop out the interior, brush it with olive oil, sprinkle on garlic powder, and bake with the cut side down. Scoop it out when it’s fully cooked, and eat it, or top it with your favorite sauce. It’s divine.

• Add more nutrients to your mashed potatoes. In a steamer, cook cauliflower and small red potatoes. Mash the two together for mashed potatoes with fewer calories and more nutrients.
• You can increase the resistance starch in potatoes, rice, and other foods by cooking it, then cooling and reheating it. Resistance starch helps prevent insulin resistance, feeds healthy bacteria in your gut, and makes you feel fuller.
• Marinate chicken pieces with the skins off, then bake. You’ll often find marinades from well-known chefs in the grocery store. Combined with a salad and baby asparagus, it’s a meal fit for royalty.
• If you miss chocolate and want to include it in your healthy diet, freeze a half banana on a Popsicle stick. When the banana freezes, heat a few dark chocolate chips and dip the frozen banana. It’s a tasty treat that’s so good, you’ll swear it’s illegal.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

If you’ve ever received the bad news that your blood pressure is too high, a suggestion of medication and/or a change in diet usually follows. You might not be able to control hypertension enough through nutrition, but in most cases, making changes can create a significant difference. Always discuss the problem with your doctor and if you’re on medication, don’t switch your diet without discussing it also. Don’t stop taking blood pressure medication unless your healthcare professional tells you to do so. With that said, there’s a movement toward using food as medicine. There are links between what you eat and your blood pressure.

Food higher in potassium and magnesium can help lower blood pressure.

Bananas have often been called nature’s beta blocker because of the potassium they contain. It offsets the sodium in the body and releases the tension on the vessel walls. Other foods higher in sodium include Swiss chard, beans, apricots, and lentils. Bananas are also higher in magnesium, just as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and yogurt. Magnesium prevents calcium from moving into the arteries and heart. Calcium causes the blood vessels to constrict, while magnesium helps the arteries to relax and lowers blood pressure.

Nitric oxide can help relax blood vessels.

Whether you eat beets or drink juice, it can help lower blood pressure. It’s the nitrates in the beets that provide the benefits. The body converts them to nitric acid. It makes arteries more flexible and relaxes them, making them wide, which lowers blood pressure. In 2015, a study showed that a group that drank a cup of beet juice daily for 4 weeks had reduced their blood pressure by an average of 7.7 mm HG systolic and 5.2 mm HG diastolic.

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation.

Beets also contain beta lain. It reduces inflammation. Inflammation is linked to high blood pressure. Food with omega-3 fatty acids is also anti-inflammatory. They include salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish. They also include plant sources like flaxseed, walnuts, and soybean. Omega-3 fatty acids decrease the levels of oxylipins. These cause blood vessels to constrict, increasing blood pressure.

Switching from a sugary treat to berries for dessert helps your body in two ways. Food with added sugar causes inflammation that can increase blood pressure. Blueberries, strawberries, and others that contain the antioxidant anthocyanin help lower blood pressure.

The amino acid citrulline in watermelon can help lower blood pressure. The body makes several changes to the citrulline, creating nitric oxide to increase artery flexibility and relaxation.

You’ll get beta-glucan, a type of fiber, from eating oats. It helps reduce a marker of oxidative stress that occurs in hypertension. Combine bananas with Greek yogurt, add fruit, nuts, and toasted oats for a heart-healthy dessert.

Good nutrition provides all the nutrients you need to maintain good circulatory health, helps you lose weight, and prevents weight gain. Losing as little as five to ten pounds can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.