Roasted Vegetable Soup

Sweet. Savory. Filling.

Ingredients are flexible, that’s the beauty of this recipe! I used: cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, frozen spinach, a little oil, almond milk and some spices (salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary). But you can use whatever you want!!!

Chop veggies, drizzle with oil, add optional spices and roast at 400F for 50-60 minutes, stirring and adding water midway. Put them in a blender or food processor, add liquid(s) and run until smooth. Spice to your taste.

Monthly Wrap-up January 2022

Create a fitness goal and try some new recipes to help keep you on track!

CREATE	6-Jan	Sweet Potato Bites
	22-Jan	Saucy Salmon
		
MOVE	15-Jan	Ditch the Scale
	23-Jan	Measure Body Composition at Home

Measure Your Body Composition at Home

Calculate at home, with just a soft tape measure and scientific calculator or online calculation links (below).  Just be aware that these results will not be 100% accurate, as measurements can vary.  Best to do it a few times for an average result.

FOR WOMEN

Measurements (round any fractions to the nearest ½”)

N = Measurement around neck just below larynx protrusion. 

W = Measurement around waist at thinnest part between bottom ribs and bellybutton.  Breathe normally and measure on an exhale.  Do not pull tight.

H = Measurement around hips, running tape over widest part of buttocks and keeping it parallel to floor.  Do not wear any compressing fabric while taking measurements!!!

T = Measurement of height in bare feet with chin level to floor and gaze straight ahead. (T=tall)

1)   Add W+H.  Subtract N.  This value will go in the first parenthesis of the equation.

2)   Calculate, using a scientific calculator.  (Don’t forget to put the parentheses around the values following the logs.)  Do not use spaces, as I have done just for clarity.

163.205 log(W + H – N) – 97.684 log(T) – 78.387 = Female Body Fat %

FOR MEN

Measurements (round any fractions to the nearest ½”)

N = Measurement around neck just below larynx protrusion. 

W = Measurement around bellybutton.  Breathe normally and measure on an exhale.  Do not pull tight.

T = Measurement of height in bare feet with chin level to floor and gaze straight ahead. (T=tall)

1)   Subtract W – N.  This value will go in the first parenthesis of the equation.

2)   Calculate, using a scientific calculator.  (Don’t forget to put the parentheses around the values following the logs.)  Do not use spaces, as I have done just for clarity.

86.010 log(W – N) – 70.041 log(T) + 36.76 = Male Body Fat %

Scientific Calculator

Scientific Calculator

Automated Body Fat Calculator

If you don’t like doing your own math, use this automated calculator.

US Navy Calculator – Body Fat Calculator – BizCalcs.com

Saucy Salmon

Moist and tasty. Grilled or baked.
  • 2 lbs salmon
  • 1/4 c soy sauce
  • 1/4 cooking sherry
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp spicy mustard
  • 2 tsp sesame oil

Rinse salmon and pat dry. Lay in oiled pan. Mix sauce ingredients into a consistent paste and spread over fish. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour. Uncover and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, or grill about 8 minutes per side.

Ditch the Scale

Body Composition is a Better Goal

Weight isn’t the best measure of health. It’s the muscle to fat ratio that matters

Quick Weight Loss often means you’ve lost body fluid and lean tissue. (Bodies can’t really convert more than 2.5 lbs per week into energy, so anything more than that isn’t really ‘weight loss’ and will probably come back)

Body Composition Goals: Men less than 15% fat, women less than 25% fat

Tip 1 – Eat close to the source.  The less processed your food is, the better.  Shop the edges of the grocery store.  Eat plenty of raw fruits and veggies.

Tip 2 – Break a sweat 2-3 times a week (20-30 min of whatever makes you happy)

Tip 3 – Build muscle tissue; it burns calories!  Plus, you’ll look and feel healthier and stronger. Lift weights at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes to build and keep muscle.

Tip 4 – Be consistent!!  If you skip a day, fine, but try to create a routine.

If you want to measure your body composition, there are several easy ways to do it.  Talk to your trainer and set some goals for 2022!! Or try calculating it yourself using the directions in my blog:

Measure Your Body Composition at Home

Excerpted from Gamut, Issue 81, Dec 2021/Jan 2022 Author: Wayne Westcott, PhD.

Sweet Potato Bites

Sweet, savory, simple…. and packed with nutrients.

  • 3 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1-2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients and stir with a large spoon to fully coat all pieces. Spread on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, stir, then bake another 20-30 minutes depending on how you like them.

Monthly Wrap-up December 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR! A few tasty posts this month, especially the holiday song! Thanks for following in 2021.

CREATE13-DecBlack Bean Stew
MOVE10-DecStudy: Exercise Later in Life
SING17-DecHangin’ Around the Fitness Room

Black Bean Stew

A family favorite for cold nights. This recipe is especially for Max!

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-3 jalapenos, minced
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 10 oz mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 28 oz black beans
  • 15 oz kidney beans
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 32 oz water

Heat oil and darken cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic, and jalapenos and sauté until softened. Add peppers and sauté 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and corn and sauté 5 more minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer at least one hour. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, if desired.

If you feel lazy, just throw everything in a crock pot and let it simmer all day on low!!!!

Study: Exercising later in life reduces chronic illness

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

A new study from researchers at Harvard University has found that exercising later in life may help stave off chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers, the school said in the Harvard Gazette, a university publication.

“It’s a widespread idea in Western societies that as we get older, it’s normal to slow down, do less, and retire,’’ said Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel E. Lieberman, lead author of the study, in the Gazette story published Nov. 22. “Our message is the reverse: As we get older, it becomes even more important to stay physically active.’’

The article said the researchers, whose findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, “hypothesize’’ that humans have evolved to keep physically active as they age, and that doing so allocates energy to processes that slow the body’s gradual deterioration.

The study showed that in addition to burning calories, physical activity is also physiologically stressful, and the stress damages the body at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, according to the article. However, the study also found the body responds to the damage with a “build back stronger’’ bent, the article said, with cellular and DNA repair processes shown to lower the risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and depression.

“The key take-home point is that because we evolved to be active throughout our lives, our bodies need physical activity to age well,’’ Lieberman told the Gazette. “In the past, daily physical activity was necessary in order to survive, but today we have to choose to exercise, that is to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health and fitness.’’

Lieberman stressed that the activity level needn’t be extreme to be effective.

“The key is to do something, and to try to make it enjoyable so you’ll keep doing it,’’ Lieberman told the Gazette. “The good news is that you don’t need to be as active as a hunter-gatherer. Even small amounts of physical activity — just 10 or 20 minutes a day —substantially lower your risk of mortality.’’

Monthly Wrap-up November 2021

Lots of activity as the year wraps up!

CREATE	2-Nov	20 Minute Fleece Hat
	7-Nov	TVP Meatless Balls
		
MOVE	10-Nov	Crunch It Crush It, 7 minute abs
	21-Nov	Every Day Stretch
		
SING	1-Nov	You're No Good, performed 21_10_23
	1-Nov	My Favorite Mistake, performed 21_10_23