Nutrition Corner

Sugar: Food or addictive substance? Not only is sugar bad for the teeth, it can become a health-altering addiction.

Macadamia Nuts - Benefits of Good Fat, Fiber, Protein: Macadamia nuts are a nutritious snack choice because they have monounsaturated fats, which are considered good fats for your body.

Recipe for The Day

Healthy Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry: This pineapple chicken stir fry recipe is made with whole ingredients such as chopped bell peppers, broccoli florets, pineapple chunks, and chicken, of course! The stir fry sauce is naturally sweetened with pineapple juice and topped off with a dash of sesame seeds. No regrets!

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

4 ways to maximize winter (so you can run faster next spring)

• Maintain your base: Your main goal during the winter months should be to maintain a base level of fitness, so you’re not starting from scratch once the weather gets warmer.

• Work on your form: Now is a great time to work on your form, so when you start training more heavily in the spring, you’ll be a more efficient, and therefore faster, runner and triathlete. Consider visiting a physiotherapist who specializes in working with runners to have your form and gait analyzed. They will be able to tell you what needs improvement and give you exercises to help you get better.

• Strength train: Focus on things like squats, lunges, calf raises, and core work, and you’ll definitely see the payoff when you start your next training block.

• Work on flexibility and mobility: A regular yoga or mobility practice over the winter is a great way to keep your body moving and work out any kinks before you jump into another training block.

4 Tips to avoid unhealthy eating habits, make holiday meals healthier

• I like to recommend that people drink water before their meal and throughout the meal, which takes up some room in your stomach. Focus on eating those dishes that have fruits and vegetables because that's fiber.

• The Age-Old Debate Of Ham Versus Turkey: This one's actually pretty easy because ham is a cured meat and cured meats have been classified -- at least since 2015 -- as being carcinogenic. These processed meats, right, so they're linked to colon cancer. Turkey, however, is a lean white meat. Don't deep fry it but otherwise, that's probably the healthier option.

• The Healthy Mash: If you mash up some potatoes and then add a whole bunch of butter, a whole bunch of heavy cream -- probably not the healthiest, right? But instead, what you can do is add a little bit of Greek yogurt, fat-free, which is tangy and creamy but doesn't add all that fat.

• Try not to use bouillon or soup base. It's very, very high in salt. Instead, make your own,

3 reasons for not losing weight on keto

• Not achieving ketosis: One reason for not achieving ketosis is not cutting back enough on carbs. Sometimes, a person may feel as though they have drastically reduced their carb intake. However, they may still be eating enough carbs for the body to produce energy from glucose, and this may reduce the rate of fat burned in the body.

• Eating too much protein: Many low carb diets allow for a moderate amount of protein. Some people mistakenly think a low carb, high protein diet is a keto diet. However, this type of diet is unlikely to cause ketosis because the body can break down excess proteins into amino acids and convert them to types of sugar.

• Not counting calories: To lose weight, a person needs to burn more calories than they consume. People who consume too many calories may gain weight, even if they are in a state of ketosis. It is, therefore, important that people keep track of the number of calories that they consume. Sticking to a balanced meal plan can help a person work toward their ideal weight.

The 4 Best Shoulder Exercises for Building Muscle

• Barbell Overhead Press: The barbell overhead press strengthens all three heads of the deltoid — the front (anterior), middle (lateral), and rear (posterior). If you want bigger, stronger, and boulder shoulders, overhead pressing variations are necessary for size and strength because shoulder raise variations will only take you so far.

• Half-Kneeling Landmine Press: The half-kneeling unilateral landmine press is a mix of vertical and horizontal movement, which makes this great for people who lack shoulder mobility for overhead pressing.

• Arnold Press: The Arnold press, named after bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, trains all three deltoid heads. Due to the larger range of motion and its rotational nature, it increases time under tension, leading to a greater hypertrophy potential.

• Push Press: It looks like an overhead press at the start, but the push press uses leg drive to heft heavy weights overhead. You’ll dip slightly through your knees, then explode upward. The momentum from your lower body will help you move a lot more weight than you can with the strict overhead press.

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