More Posture Tips from Brian!

The following 3 exercises will help to prevent faulty posture. The exercises should be done a minimum of twice per week, ideally three times.  2-3 sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise.

Standing Wall Snow Angels – Stand with your back against a wall and feet approximately 6 – 8 inches away from wall. Slide your arms up by your sides with your palms facing forward. Be sure to keep your hand and elbow against wall at all times. Stop when your elbow comes off the wall. Move slowly.

Standing 1 Arm Row – With tubing fixed to a immovable bar, hold tubing with both hands and pull 1 arm with elbow close to side. Try to rotate your spine as you pull. Head turns with spine.

Yoga Press Ups – Laying on your stomach on the ground with your hands shoulder width apart at shoulder level. Press your chest up without hips coming off the ground. If this is too difficult, press chest up with elbows on the ground. Look straight ahead.

Brought to you by Brian Thurston, Certified Personal Trainer

Can’t BEET this Fresh Summer Salad Recipe!

It’s still warm enough to where a fresh salad really pleases the palate. Beets tend to get a bad rap. Every time I mention beets in a anything I am preparing, I get a “don’t we have any other veggies?” or “beets again?”. True, they can be messy to prepare and you certainly don’t want to wear anything nice while preparing them, but they are well worth the mess.

The next time you want to try a fun beet recipe that won’t get any complaints, try this one!

Pesto Beet Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 large raw beets, peeled
• 1 8 oz. jar of your favorite pesto
• Juice of 2 limes

Directions:

Spiralize beets using a hand spiralizer. You can also grate the beets. Steam beets for about 10-15 minutes until soft, not mushy. In a bowl, add steamed beets, the jar of pesto, and the juice of two lemons. Mix well and refrigerate for at least two hours. Enjoy!

Brought to you by Samira Dilles, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist.

3 Exercises to Help with Posture

Posture is something that we could all work on, especially those who are seated for several hours each day. Here are 3 exercises that you can do pretty much anywhere!

 

Wall Angels

Pressing length of spine into the wall, bring elbows up to shoulder level. Keep elbows at a right angle and press forearms into the wall behind you. Make sure to keep lower back pressed tightly into the wall. Hold for 10 – 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times.

 

 

External Shoulder Rotations On wall (2 ways)

1. Pressing back into wall, start with elbows by rib cage forming a right angle, rotate shoulders to bring forearms towards the wall.
2. Pressing back into wall, start with elbows at shoulder level forming a right angle. Rotate shoulders to bring forearms and hand to the wall.

Posture exercises provided by Samira Dilles, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist. Stay tuned for more health & wellness tips!

Red Velvet Cauliflower “Freeze”

Are you ready for this guilt-free treat to help beat the heat? This cooling freeze will satisfy your sweet tooth and help you get your serving of veggies in!

Ingredients:

– 1 head of cauliflower, steamed then frozen

– 1 medium boiled beet

– ½ cup of dates

– ½ cup cashews soaked in water overnight, then drained.

– ¼ cup cocoa powder

– ½ – 1 cup of nut milk (almond or cashew)

Place all ingredients, minus the milk, in food processor and process until chunky but mixed, slowly add in milk until creamy. Scrape into a 9×5 loaf pan and freeze for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves 3.

Recipe from Samira Dilles, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist.