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Fitness Friday: Waking up to no more oil

rachel_swick
February 1, 2013

I don't know about you, but I always go to bed with the best of intentions for the next day.

I tell myself I will wake up, do my morning yoga, have a healthy breakfast and be out the door with makeup and clean clothes on.

With a 19-month-old this doesn't always happen. Life gets messy, children get sick and makeup gets forgotten. This is what makes it all interesting, and what makes it worth getting up in the morning!

I recently read a blog about eliminating oil from your diet. That's right - eliminating all oil. That means no vegetable oil in your chocolate chip cookies, no coconut oil to saute onions and no EVOO mixed into your pesto.

Could you go oil free?

I am not sure if I could, but the reasons to go oil free could make some reconsider their need for it.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn urges his patients to eliminate oil to improve their heart and live a healthier, longer life.

"The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100 percent fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn't matter whether it's olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. You should not consume any oil if you have heart disease," Esselstyn says.

His wife, Ann Esselstyn, suggests using other liquids instead of oil.

"Empty all oil, even virgin olive oil out of your cupboards then you CAN’T use it. Instead any liquid works. Vegetable broth (no sodium), water, wine, beer, orange juice, carrot juice, vinegar all work in stir -frying. Instead of oil in baking, use applesauce, baby food prunes, bananas. Finding a salad dressing you love is a challenge at first but there are so many possibilities out there you will soon never miss the oil filled ones," says Ann.

For more information on the Esselstyn's and the plant-based, no-oil diet, go to http://planeat.tv/ann-esselstyn

 

Now for some morning yoga. This is the routine I found on Shape and have adjusted for my morning routine. It really does help you wake up to do some deep stretches each morning, and it helps you feel empowered to face your day - even with a snot-nosed toddler clinging to your leg.

See the whole wake-up workout at Shape.

Start with the Stretching Inchworm

Warm up your body with this gentle move before you really start to sweat.

How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by your sides. Take a deep breath in and stretch your arms overhead, pressing palms together and lifting your chest as you look up to ceiling. Exhale and slowly fold forward, opening your arms out to your sides and then to the floor (bend knees as much as needed to press hands flat on the ground).

Slowly walk your hands out away from your feet, shifting weight forward, bringing shoulders over hands and lowering torso into full plank position. Brace your abs in tight and hold for 1 count.

Gently release your hips to floor and arch your lower back, lifting head and chest to the ceiling, taking a deep breath in as you stretch. Exhale, draw your abs in tight and use your abdominals to lift your hips back up into full plank position. Hold for 1 count and then slowly walk your hands back to your feet and roll up through your spine to return to standing. Repeat as many times in a row as you can for 1 minute.

 

Then move to Power Push-ups

From a standing position walk your hands out in front of you so your body forms a V, then lower yourself onto your arms for a push-up. Hold it, then continue to do at least 10 push-ups from this position.

 

Third - and this is my favorite:

Sumo Squat To Side Crunch

Sculpt your legs, butt, and hips while slimming your waist with this double-duty move.

How to do it: Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip width, toes and knees turned out about 45 degrees, hands behind your head. Bend your knees and lower into a sumo squat (dropping hips as low as you can without letting knees buckle forward or back).

As you press back up to standing, raise your right knee up toward your right elbow and do a side crunch with your torso to the right. Step your right foot down and immediately repeat sumo squat and crunch to the left. Repeat, alternating sides each time, for 1 minute.

 

For the rest of the workout, click here.

I load it up on my Kindle to follow along the instructions and make sure I am getting all I can out of the routine. It only takes 10-15 minutes.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

  • Real Parents. Real Food. Real Fun.

    Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

    Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.

    Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy." 

     

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