Veggies Are My Heroes

Another great healthy yummy recipe for winter.

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 Portobello mushroom cap, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
8 spears asparagus, bottoms trimmed
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
olive oil spray
4 6-inch pieces of whole grain French bread, sliced lengthwise
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or other vinegar of choice

Serves: 4

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Place first seven ingredients on baking sheet. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, pepper and rosemary. Spray with olive oil spray.

3. Roast in oven for 25 minutes or until vegetables are just golden.

4. Spread each side of bread with one roasted garlic clove. Arrange vegetables on bread and sprinkle each sandwich with 1 teaspoon vinegar.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 330.38 calories, 4.47 g fat, .86 g saturated fat, 62.42 g carbohydrates, 6.32 g fiber, 11.67 g protein, 0.00 mg cholesterol.



Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre

CAMPSIE FOOD FESTIVAL: Full of flavour

CAMPSIE FOOD FESTIVAL: Full of flavour

The Mayor of the City of Canterbury, Cr Robert Furolo today encouraged residents to prepare for a culinary extravaganza at this year's Campsie Food Festival on Saturday, 17 May.

This year marks the 10th birthday of the Campsie Food Festival as well as the 20th anniversary of Canterbury's Sister City accord with the South Korean city of Eunpyeong-gu.

"Sharing Campsie's flavours of the world, we're thrilled to have food author and television presenter Maeve O'Meara along as our celebrity guest," the Mayor said.

"Maeve's lifelong love of food has taken her on a global journey of discovery and she continues to encourage others to explore the world of cuisine that is out there.

"Food and the quest to find new and tantalising ways to prepare it is something that all the different cultures of the world have in common, despite the distances of land and language.

"Maeve is the creator and presenter of the acclaimed 13-part series 'Food Safari' on SBS Television, which ventured into the homes of culturally diverse cooks all around Australia.
"One of the series' episodes featured local Korean chefs, Mrs Susana Kim of Campsie's Jang Won restaurant and Mr Chris Kang of Paldo Kim Chi at Canterbury.

"Maeve began her career as a newspaper, magazine and television journalist, later entering into the food tourism industry with her popular Gourmet Safaris tours, which also celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

"Maeve is also an ambassador for the Sydney charity Oz Harvest, which donates unused food from restaurants and caterers to the needy."

"People can sample the delicacies of more than 60 international food stalls at this year's Campsie Food Festival, representing a wide range of countries including Indigenous Australia, Korea, Turkey, Greece, Thailand and the Pacific Islands.

"A full day's program of entertainment is planned for the day, including a schools cooking competition, amusement rides and fireworks at 7pm.

"It will be a great day out for the whole family and we're lucky to have Maeve O'Meara at the Campsie Food Festival to promote wonderful and diverse cuisine we have in our City," Mayor Furolo said.

The Campsie Food Festival will stretch along Beamish Street and into Anzac Mall, Campsie, on Saturday, May 17, from 10am-9pm.

The 2008 Campsie Food Festival is proudly sponsored by Torch Publishing, Valley Times , Miele Australia, Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL, Bulldogs League Club Ltd, Commonwealth Bank Australia, Campsie Hotel, Woolworths, Ayam and KFC Campsie.


.
Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre

Getting Fit at the Gym

Going to the Gym Health Club is the answer for many people who want to get fit.

At a gym health club a person has personal trainers and dietitians to help them along their healthy path. Everything they need is at one location for one price.

It makes getting in shape convenient. With the busy lifestyle so many people have today, gym health clubs are a great solution. A person looking to get in shape need only find a gym health club in their area. They simply sign up for the gym and then can begin taking advantage of everything they have to offer.

A gym health club is something many people are taking advantage of. They are simply a one stop shop for fitness and health needs. A person can get everything they need at a gym health club without ever having to go elsewhere.

In this day and age it seems everyone is trying to lose weight, build muscle and just get in shape. The news about heart disease, cancer and other health issues is overwhelming in the push to get fit. That is why there are more gym health clubs now than ever before.

A gym health club offers an all around solution for the person looking to get fit.

Most gym health clubs offer an array of options. They offer classes ranging from kickboxing to yoga. They have personal trainers to work one on one with a person to ensure they are getting the best workout possible. They also have dieticians to help ensure the persons diet is on track too. Everything a person needs to get in shape is all at the gym health club.

It's all about a good balanced diet, taking vitamins and minerals. Daily exercise, yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, drinking enough water, meditation, relaxation, positive thinking, and being happy.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.

.

Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Easy Living - Good or Bad for Brain Fitness?

By Simon Evans

If you talked to a person from the 1950s about all the modern marvels we have today they'd likely drool at the mouth. What? You don't have to get up to change the TV channel? You can reheat leftovers in 1 minute? You can access any information at any time without leaving your house? No way!

Be Careful What You Ask For

But are our lives really getting any easier? Do all these time saving devices allow us to work less? Well, sort of. It certainly takes less work to do any specific task. When I was in graduate school writing my thesis, I thought of the poor slobs who had to do that without the aid of a computer or the internet. It must have taken people an entire day to go to the library to find references that I can now get in 10 minutes (God bless Google). The trade-off is that we are expected to do a lot more tasks as part of our normal day.

I was reading an interesting paper by Kelly Lambert recently that put some of this into perspective as it may relate to rates of depression in our modern society. Even with all our modern conveniences, high-end medical care and plethora of designer drugs, we have a huge mental health crisis. In fact, today mental health accounts for about 15% of disease burden worldwide. So why are we so unhappy?

The Thrill is in the Chase

Dr. Lambert argues that one factor in our overall societal unhappiness is the fact that we have it too easy, especially when it comes to feeding ourselves. Years gone by, dinner was more than a phone-call away.

.

We actually had to track our food across the tundra and risk death by saber-toothed tigers or violent weather, in order to feed ourselves. Even if we were successful, we had to do it again the next day.

.

As time drew on, we learned it was much easier to plant food in the ground. But this still required intensive labor and patience to bring our sowing efforts to the fruition of harvest.

All of this effort made the reward that much more enjoyable. The magnitude of the reward may actually depend on the magnitude of the effort required to achieve it. Meaning the harder we have to work for something, the more we enjoy it when we are successful.
.

Since successfully finding food is a major factor in our survival, and we used to work very hard to stay fed, we had ample opportunity for regular high intensity rewards.

Appreciate What You Have

Today, however, we take for granted this major facet of our lives. Finding food does not require much effort at all, at least for most of the lucky people living in our society. Because we don't need to put out effort, we don't activate reward centers in our brains that our ancestors activated on a regular basis.

We are essentially robbing ourselves of a major 'happiness factor', and this, argues Dr. Lambert, may be a problem. It may be that today's lack of regular reward, due to lack of necessary effort, may be a factor in high rates of depression.

Whether or not she is right, I don't know. She provides many examples and scientific studies to back up her argument and I thought it was a very interesting point worthy of a post. In fact, I have two cats that seem to agree with her.

They are not content just eating their chow out of a dish. Instead, they enjoy scooping out one nugget at a time, batting it across the kitchen floor and then pouncing on their prey before eating it.

There's not really much we can do about this unless you want to pull a Grizzly Adams and drop out of society, move to the hills and live off the land. Alternatively, you could do all your grocery shopping in full camouflage, crawling around on your belly through the frozen food aisle.

Or, maybe we can be more appreciative of what we have and not take all our modern conveniences for granted.

Reference: Lambert, K.G. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 30 (2006) 497'510
Copyright (c) 2008 BrainFit For Life

Learn to control stress, improve your metabolism and boost your intelligence with the four cornerstones of Brain Fitness. Visit http://www.brainfitforlife.com/

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.

.

Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Sugar Addiction is Getting too Much

Simple Living Guide - Break Sugar Addiction

By D. Perse

Sugar has become (according to many sources) the most common addictive food (drug) worldwide. Sugar in any form weakens the health of body tissue and decreases immunity. Since the microorganisms love simple sugars, sweet diet suits them perfectly. Bacteria, fungi and parasites have a paradise to grow and thrive…

When sugar is consumed as an occasional special treat only, that does not count as an addiction and can’t cause much damage.

The problems arise when sugar starts replacing wholesome meals and nutritious foods. As a result of sugar abuse many people suffer for nutritional deficiencies, hypoglycemia and even "sugar diabetes".

There’re many theories around about how to break the sugar addiction. Studies show that vitamin B, vitamin C, zinc and chromium can help to reduce the craving for sugar. But since I’m always searching for natural methods without harmful side effects, I’m happy to tell you about this one.

Barbara Flores in her book "The Great Sunflower Book" claims that eating sunflower seeds instead of sugary snacks can help you break the sugar addiction. You have nothing to lose if you test this theory yourself. Raw sunflower kernels are the most nutritious and the toasted kernels are more flavorful (they have nutty taste).

A word of warning:

One half cup of sunflower seeds has about 400 calories. Keep that in mind if you’re trying to lose weight.

For the people with high sodium levels it’s important to stick with unsalted seeds.

John Douglas, M.D. recommends sunflower seeds to many patients with cardiovascular problems or high blood pressure and occasionally even to reduce allergic reactions - all with great success.

There’s one more interesting fact I came across while researching the sugar addiction. According to the traditional Chinese health system the craving for sugar (sweet taste) is considered as a craving for female energy (yin) - longing for comfort and security. A need for spicy, salted foods, on the other hand, means lack of the male energy (yang) - strength.

With that being said, it might be a good idea to have a closer look at our living and find out what causes the cravings - while munching on sunflower seeds…

D. Perse is a student of Herbology, passionate about growing herbs and collecting interesting facts about them, including history and legends, medicinal uses, recipes and more. The website http://www.dariasworld.info/more_info.htm is devoted to herbs and offers tons of free information.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.
.
Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Choosing a Gym - How to Choose a Gym Based on Your Exercise Needs

Choosing a Gym - How to Choose a Gym Based on Your Exercise Needs

By Brian Gallichan

Choosing a gym to workout in can be a real chore, especially in this day and age when there's a gym on every street corner and new gyms seem to be sprouting up almost daily.

With so many gyms to choose from, many people find the task of finding the right gym to be too overwhelming. These people never get around to finding the right gym, and consequently, they never meet their weight loss goals.

There are really only a few things that you need to look for in a gym. The first factor in choosing a gym is the gym's location. If you cannot regularly make it to a particular gym for your workouts, then this is not the right gym for you.

Secondly, does the gym have the equipment that you need to meet your weight loss goals? If you love cardio training, choose a gym with lots of cardio equipment such as bikes and treadmills. Most gyms have an abundance of cardio equipment, since cardio training is so popular.

If you want to focus on resistance training, choose a gym with lots of free weights and weight machines. Free weights generally offer more range of motion than weight machines. Weight machines, on the other hand, are generally considered safer than free weights. I have used both, and in my opinion, both are more or less equal.

Lastly, you should choose a gym that you feel comfortable in. Take everything into consideration when testing gyms, including the music, staff, parking, and other members. Try to find a gym that makes you want to come back for your next workout.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.
.

Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

A Handy Guide To Back Pain Relief

By Asheesh Mani

A concise guide to help you get relief from back pain symptoms with tips on how to handle acute backache and what to do in case of chronic pain symptoms.

Getting back pain relief and staying pain-free is well within your hands. All it needs is some discipline. If you have been suffering from back pain for some time, you are well aware of how difficult life can get with a backache. Simple activities like walking, sitting, and bending that we take for granted become painful and strenuous.

Back pain is one of the most common health problems affecting adults, even as young as those in their early twenties. But you can overcome back pain with the right diagnosis and proper care.

Handy Tips For Immediate Pain Relief

If you have hurt your back from sudden stretching or lifting heavy objects, here are some tips for immediate back pain relief:

Use an ice pack over the affected area. A hot compress can also give immense relief.

Use a hot water bottle or a towel dipped in hot water and then squeezed almost dry.
Taking painkillers like ibuprofen can be a short-term measure to combat inflammation.
Get a massage on the affected area. It warms and restores circulation.

What To Do For Severe Or Chronic Backache

If your backache is of a more severe nature, you will require more than just pain alleviation:
Learn stretching exercises for your back and do them daily.

In the gym- work out to strengthen lower back muscles. Learn Yoga and meditation. It will make your whole body more flexible and reduce stress.

Magnetic therapy has been found to benefit some people suffering from back pain.
Acupuncture has also been found to give back pain relief.

To maintain a healthy back:

Adopt proper posture, don't slouch when sitting or standing.

Regular exercise can keep your muscles flexible and strengthen your back.

Always warm up before rigorous exercise.

Maintain proper nutrition and a healthy diet, don't let the fat accumulate, especially around the middle.

Sleep on a firm mattress and use furniture that is designed to be easy on the back.

Don't lift more than you can. If an object looks too heavy, get help!

Getting relief from back pain requires effort. You have to incorporate exercise and some healthy habits into your daily regimen. It may seem a chore, but it's well worth the effort of regaining and maintaining a healthy back.

After all, there's nothing more precious than being able to keep up with your children at the basketball court or picking up things without wincing. Taking care of your back requires an individualistic effort.

What works for one person may not work for another, so choose the back pain relief technique that works for you and stick to it.

Getting back pain relief and staying pain-free is well within your hands. All it needs is some discipline. You may logon to back pain symptoms to get more available information on chronic pain symptoms.

.

Thanks Asheesh!!

.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.

.

Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Krunch Recipe for a Great Winter Soup

Its healthy and its yummy!!! This is a wonderful winter warmer and it is good for you. It comes from our good friends at The University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Butternut Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon non-aromatic olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, bashed and chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
600g peeled raw butternut or other winter squash
200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
3 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup nonfat milk or soy milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Serves: 6

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet or large saucepan on medium high. Saute the onion 3 minutes or until it starts to wilt. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute longer.

2. Add the squash, potatoes, apple juice and water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 35 to 40 minutes or until very soft.

3. Whiz in a blender or processor, in batches, until smooth. Pour back into the pan and stir in the milk and salt. Reheat and serve topped with chopped apple and parsley.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 119.2 calories, 1.07 g fat, .18 g saturated fat, 26.91 g carbohydrates, 2.07 g fiber, 3.24 g protein, .41 mg cholesterol.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.
.
Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Exercising the Mind is Important Too!!

That is why it is important to understand that total wellbeing involves educating ourselves . . . . about how good fitness is paramount in our ability to be able to think and work.

Exercising The Mind

By Samuel Thompson

Everyone knows that exercising your body is an important thing to do – it offers great benefits. However, exercising your mind is equally important - not only to benefit the body but also to keep the mind functioning at a high level.

You find afflictions of the mind like forgetfulness, memory loss and Alzheimer dementia (AD) among all age groups, not just the elderly. Although, there are no medications to prevent AD there are things you can do to keep the mind sharp and alert.

Some of the things you can do are physical activity, healthy eating, activity to stimulate the mind, and avoiding things that injure brain cells, such as alcohol. Even depression can cause injury to brain cells.

We all stimulate our mind to some degree. We all have thought processes. We awake with thoughts and we go to bed thinking about things. In fact, we allow thoughts to enter our mind very easily. Our thoughts jump from one thing to another. We are often unconscious as to our thoughts, and we are especially unconscious as to why our thoughts jump about.

However, it is not enough to simply think (have thoughts) on such things as politics, social, economic, community and personal problems, or spiritual fulfillment. If you are to hold off the ravages of forgetfulness, memory loss, and perhaps AD, you must force the mind into a higher level of activity.

You must engage in stimulating mental activity to strengthen brain cells and nerve connections. Vigorously exercising your mind, regardless of age, is necessary for long-term mental health. Do not allow long periods to elapse without stretching, extending, and forcing your mind into new areas of stimulation and challenge.

Enrolling in continuing education courses, or returning to school to get an advanced degree, college degree or GED are perhaps the most recognizable methods for exercising your mind. You are forced to study, remember things, and to multi-task.

Of course, any exercise method is a good method when you can regularly force your mind to study, recall figures, facts and all sorts of information. Joining organizations, groups, or a chess club is also a start. Participating in on-line forums and doing a lot of thoughtful reading are other things you can do to get started.

Always engaging yourself in some sort of new learning is very important. Challenge yourself to learn a hobby, computers, a new skill, or build a website. It is "the challenges" that will force your mind into a higher level of activity. You benefit through strengthen brain cells and nerve connections. Exercise your body and, especially, exercise your mind in order to live a more vigorous and fulfilling life. It is never too late to start.

Thanks Sam!

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.
.
Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Funny Bone Fitness Facts

Yeh . .The Funny Bone . . We've all done it at some stage.

You know when you bang your elbow in that particular spot, and it feels all tingly and prickly - you hit your funny bone.

Sorry to disappoint you folks, but your funny bone isn't actually a bone at all. It's the spot where the ulnar nerve touches the end of the upper arm bone.

This nerve runs down the inside part of your elbow and controls feeling in your ring and pinkie fingers. It also controls the movement of your wrist.

Fear not - hitting your funny bone doesn't cause nerve damage, but it sure does feel weird.

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.
.
Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787

Our Brains are a Business . .

No it's not moving!!!

So how does the brain function as a system?
.

There is a hierarchy in the manner in which the sensory system is organized and it starts with the association cortex, which has the most complicated analyses, and then flows down in the order of complexity to the secondary sensory cortex, primary sensory cortex, thalamic relay nuclei, and the receptors (2006).

.

The primary sensory cortex receives information from the thalamic relay nuclei, the secondary sensory cortex receives information from the primary sensory cortex, and the association cortex receives information primarily from the secondary sensory cortex.

.
However, these systems are not mutually exclusive of each other; rather the current model of the sensorimotor system is not just a hierarchical model, it also is functionally segregated and communicates parallel as well.
.

How simple is that!!! Or in another language:

The manner in which this can be compared, is to a large business where you will always have an executive team at the top (association cortex) which requires feedback prior to making important decisions from department heads (secondary sensory cortex). However, departments should not function alone in silos even though they do have areas of specialization.

Rather, for a business (or brain) to be successful the department heads must effectively communicate between each other as well as receiving clear information from their direct reports (primary sensory cortex) who must communicate amongst themselves as well.

.

In addition, this sensorimotor “corporation” must not halt the flow of information by creating unnecessary bureaucracy so if the thalamus has important information that should go directly to the department heads it may do so without any problem.

.

Just thought you might want to know!

Krunch Fitness in Earlwood, Sydney.

.

Krunch Fitness provides resources to empower you with knowledge and motivation to lead a dynamic life through Health and Fitness, Knowledge and Vitality. . . . Not just another Fitness Centre . . Krunch Fitness 02 9559 7787