Five Quick Tips for Healthy Eating

If you can learn kitchen shortcuts to delicious and healthy meals, you can change your lifestyle.

Try these tips to cut salt, fat and calories:

Add flavor without adding salt. A bit of lemon juice can make a small amount of salt seem like more. Or perk up bored taste buds with vinegar and pepper.

For dips or spreads that call for cream cheese, substitute half a cup of ricotta cheese blended with half a cup of fat-free cream cheese. Serve with raw veggies.

Add evaporated fat-free milk to soups and casseroles in place of heavy cream. Bulk up casseroles, stews and soups with beans and vegetables.

Cradle your pie filling with a crust of graham crackers instead of pastry dough.

Use applesauce instead of butter and oil in baked goods. A half cup of applesauce equals one cup of butter or oil.

Treat your employees to a healthy cooking class or a wellness workshop right in the office.

Contact us for more information about scheduling services for your organization.

Is it Heartburn or Something More Serious?

Despite the name, heartburn has nothing to do with your ticker. However, the fiery pain it causes in your chest can mimic the pain of a
heart attack. How can you tell the two apart?

When your heart is on the line.
Although not everyone having a heart attack has chest pain, it's the most common symptom. The pain of a heart attack:

Usually starts in the center of the chest
Can range from mild to severe
Lasts more than a few minutes
May go away and come back
Could feel more like squeezing, fullness or pressure

When it's something you ate.
Heartburn happens when acid from your stomach backs up into your esophagus. When frequent, it's a sign of gatroesophageal reflux disease and can be with lifestyle changes such as avoiding "trigger foods."

Chest pain from heartburn:
May occur in the abdomen in addition to the chest
Is often aggravated by spicy foods or overeating
May be worse while lying down, bending over or after meals.

The Back Rub Company offers a course called Nutrition for a Healthy Heart. Schedule by March 5th and get 1/2 off!

A Quick and Healthy Recipe to Warm the Heart!

Here in Phoenix, we're already seeing rising temps. There is probably less than a month left before we're donning shorts and flip-flops again. Here is a great recipe just in the nick of time.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

The veggies in this recipe are available year-round so they're always fresh! Enjoy now or freeze and save for later.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp pot herbs
1 14-1/2-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 14-1/2-ounce can no-salt diced tomatoes, plus one can water
1 19-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, no salt added
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and pot herbs. Cook, stirring just until onions look slightly wilted. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, water, and beans. Bring just to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer about 10-minutes. Add peas and macaroni and serve.

Serves four (2 cups each).

Nutrition facts per serving: 250 calories, 10 grams protein, 4 grams fat, 41 grams carbs, 10 grams fiber, 404 mg sodium.

The Back Rub Company offers a variety of Healthy Cooking Classes. Keep your employees healthy all year! Contact us at 480-330-2066.

This Valentine's Day Give the Gift of Health

Flowers and chocolates just don't cut it anymore. Give your beloved something unique and personal.

The Gift of ENERGY - Job stress, family tasks and everyday life can leave your loved on feeling depleted, grabbing a cup o' joe for a quick energy fix. Caffeine can actually contribute to persistent fatigue. Offer gifts that provide sustained energy:

Green Foods in tasty nutrition bars, smoothie mixes and supplements supply readily absorbable B vitamins, magnesium, beta-carotene and other good stuff to support detoxification. Instead of flowers, create a festive "bouquet" of green foods products!

Fruit and veggie juices provide a rainbow of health benefits and keep energy and immunity high. Ditch the earrings and "pair" a compact juicer with a cookbook of fast recipes, such as The Everything Juicing Book.

Teas contain a variety of flavors and beneficial properties. Lose the chocolates and put together a gift basket of loose leaf teas. For energy, try yerba mate or detoxifying green tea. Check out Souvia for more than 140 flavors!

The Gift of RELAXATION - Getting much-needed "me" time does more than help you unwind after a long day. Research shows that meditation can increase activity of telomerase, an enzyme that protects DNA sequences. This has been linked to a longer lifespan! Give that special someone a reminder to take time out from everyday stressors with these natural options:

Herbal, botanical and aromatherapy remedies reduce anxiety, promote sound sleep and quell stress-related inflammation. Squash the stuffed animal idea and shop for calming aromatic gifts like bath teas/bombs, tinctures, massage oils, misters and all-natural candles. Try lavender and chamomile to calm the nervous system or invigorating peppermint and rosemary.

Massage is the ultimate melt-away moment. The benefits are far-reaching and include relief of chronic pain, muscle tension, nerve impingement, headaches and migraines, reduced stress, decreased anxiety and depression, induced sleep and increased body awareness and self-esteem. Do away with dinner and schedule a relaxing Couples Massage with The Back Rub Company. We can come to your home or you can join us at our Central Phoenix Wellness Center.

A good night's sleep is vital to health and well-being. When you’re getting less than the optimal six to eight hours per night, you’ll notice you’re hungrier and thirstier. Too little sleep means your body produces less rejuvenating human growth hormone (HGH), which affects your mood and energy level. Low levels of HGH trigger sugar cravings, as well as a desire for salty foods. Of course, all of these side effects are also signs of depression. Can the candy and create your own handmade soothing eye pillow. Stitch two 8x5-inch rectangles of organic fabric together, leaving one end open. In a small bowl, blend flaxseeds with chamomile and sweet basil leaf, or any other dried herb of your choice. Add the mixture to the bag and sew closed.


Valentine's Day at work:
Treat your employees this Valentine's Day with on-site chair massage or a wellness workshop right in the office.

Contact us for more information about scheduling services for your organization.

Take a Break: Vacations may be good for your health!

A study in Occupational Medicine found that people had fewer physical complaints and better mood and sleep quality three days after a vacation. The more non-stressful vacation days they had at home or away from home, the better they felt. The results lasted five weeks after their vacations!

Vacations may even prolong lives. According to Psychosomatic Medicine, one study found that men at risk for heart problems were less likely to die if they took vacations every year. Another study in Circulation showed that women who rarely took vacations had a higher incidence of heart attack and death.

So, start packing. It's good for your health!

For Healthier Eating Habits, Have a Seat!

Research shows that sitting down to eat is significantly associated with eating healthier foods, including more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat. In contrast, eating on the go is linked to higher intake of soft drinks, fast food, saturated fat and total fat!

MAKE TIME FOR SIT-DOWN MEALS!
According to the studies, more than 35 percent of people lack the time to sit down and eat a meal. As a result, they eat while driving, shopping or working. And that means a lot of extra calories and fat, which translates into health problems such as obesity and increased risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

For better health, make more time for sit-down meals, and if possible, share them with others.

Try these simple tips:
Cook a family dinner at home. To save time, plan ahead and make enough so that you have leftovers for other meals.
Invite a friend out to lunch and try a new healthy restaurant.
Make meals a priority. Set aside time for meals as you would any other appointment.

AVOID ON-THE-GO EATING PITFALLS BY MAKING GOOD CHOICES. If you're pressed for time and forced to eat on the go, try these tips for healthier fare:

• Anticipate your hunger. Pack healthy snacks to avoid making impulse and unhealthy fast food choices. Good take-along foods include unsalted nuts, fresh fruit, string cheese and cut veggies.



• When grabbing a quick bite, choose grilled foods instead of fried. And load veggies onto sandwiches, pizza and other grab-and-go foods.



• Reduce portion sizes while eating out. Order a small or junior-sized portion. I always order a to go box with my meal and put half away to save for later before I begin eating.



• Opt for water or unsweetened tea rather than high-calorie and sugary soft drink.



• When possible, check out the nutritional value of foods before ordering. Look for foods low in fat, sodium and sugar.

The Back Rub Company offers a variety of Healthy Cooking Classes and Nutrition Seminars. Keep your employees healthy and productive all year! Contact us at 480-330-2066.

The No-Excuse 30-Minute Workout

Happy New Year! Time for Resolutions...Right?

Start 2012 off right with the No-Excuse 30-Minute Workout! Yes, you can even do it at work.

Warm up (5-minutes) - Take a brisk walk, jump rope or slow jog.

Aerobic Exercise (10-minutes) - Choose an activity you enjoy - anything that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe harder, like walking briskly, jogging or climbing stairs. Do it at least as hard as enough that you can talk but not sing.

Strengthening (10-minutes) - Try to do each exercise eight to 12 times, then rest 30-seconds to 1-minute and do another set. Do only as many as you can while maintaining good form.

1. Squats: Stand with your back to a sturdy chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Reach forward in front of your shoulders. Bend forward slightly at the hips with your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your bottom toward the chair to a count of four until you are almost sitting. Keep your knees in line with your ankles and behind your toes. Pause. Rise to a count of two.


2. Wall push-ups: Stand facing a wall. Reach forward in front of your shoulders. The wall should be just out of reach. Lean forward slightly from your ankles with your back straight and place your palms against the wall. Bend your elbows and lower yourself to the wall to a count of four. Pause. Push up to a count of two.

3. Abdominal curls: Lie down on your back. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor, hand behind your head. Point your elbows out to the sides. Lift your chin toward the ceiling and crunch to where your shoulders and upper back come off the floor to a count of two. Pause. Lower yourself to a count of two.

Cool Down (5-minutes) - Walk slowly and then stretch gently.

Did you know that The Back Rub Company offers on-site fitness classes?

Contact us at info@thebackrubcompany.com for more information about scheduling classes for your organization.