Don't just sit there working or watching TV. Get up and move it

From YOU Docs Daily:

The instant you finish reading our blog, do this: Get up and get a move on.

Sitting around -- driving, eating, working, knitting, emailing, watching TV -- is lethal. (Move it!) This isn't news. Everyone's known for a while that Coach Potato-Itis is a serious heart threat. And recent studies have shown that lots of sitting, even if you get serious amounts of exercise, messes up your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

But here's the new shocker: Sitting causes cancer. Scientists have just tied 49,000 US cases of breast and 43,000 of colon cancer each year to prolonged sitting. (Move it!) That puts tush time right up there with smoking, obesity and a passion for pork rinds.

This is tough, since lots of what you have to do or want to do involves sitting, right? (Move it!) But wait. Breaking up endless time on your bum, even for a few minutes, breaks up the bad body effects. Key enzymes move, blood flows, mind and muscles flex. All it takes:

Get up and move at least every 30 minutes. Get more water or coffee or a banana or the mail. Cruise the hallways. Pace when you're on the phone. Stand and stretch. Yep, even just standing helps. (Fidgeting does, too.)

Go ahead, watch your favorite shows. Just don't sit there. Cook, fold laundry, empty the dishwasher, get up and dance to the theme music, ride a stationary bike (replace the couch with one; both of us YOU Docs have).

Is the TV thing that important? You bet. This research also just came in: Staring at the tube for an average of 6 hours a day (versus none) shortens your life by 5 to 10 years. (Move it!)

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OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN – ONLY 320 CALORIES AND 4.5 GRAMS OF FAT!
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Need extra willpower to lose weight or get fit? And which is more important for you to do?

From YOU Docs Daily:

Did you ring in 2012 with new resolutions to get healthy? Bravo! Writing down new resolutions has the same effect on your willpower as dropping a NASCAR engine into the family sedan: You'll whiz over the finish line. An impressive 60% of resolution makers hit their goals within months. (Folks who claim New Year's resolutions don't work are all wet.) Making more than one resolution helps.

Of course, what's on your get-healthy list counts, too. We YOU Docs want to change what we bet is in the number one spot. Instead of the almost inevitable "Lose weight," make it, "Move." Not to a new town. Move your butt!

That's right. If you need to lose just 10 or 20 pounds, bump "Lose weight" and everything else down a notch, including "Eat spinach" and "Learn to IM the kids." Kick "Get fit" to the top of the list. Getting your body in gear got even more important in 2011. Here's why.

Fitness edged out the scale. The fit/thin debate raged for years, until new research on 14,000 guys hit the news late in 2011. Compared to men who slack off, guys who stay active and get fitter are almost 40% less likely to die over 11 years -- even if they gain weight. Every increase in fitness lowers your risk for fatal heart attacks and strokes by 19%. Cutting back on exercise boosts your risk four times more than gaining a few pounds does. The take-home lesson? Unless you're obese (that's a whole other issue), worry less about your weight and more about getting and staying active. 
It's not that we YOU Docs don't think excess weight — especially belly fat — isn't important, but doing something active every day discourages a build-up of that health-threatening belly fat. Plus, it reduces stress, improves sleep, sharpens your memory, makes you happier, keeps your body's systems humming, AND makes you more likely to do other healthy things -- such as losing weight.

Sitting around proved lethal. Strong evidence in 2011 showed that sitting around messes up your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and -- yes -- causes cancer. Scientists tied more than 90,000 cases of breast and colon cancer a year to prolonged sitting. But breaking up endless time on your tush, even for a few minutes, breaks up the bad body effects. Find out more.

Here's how to make resolution number one stick like glue for a healthier YOU:

• Do mini-workouts. Often, the toughest thing about exercise isn't doing it. It's fitting it in. If you can't swing a 30-minute walk every day, plus about 30 minutes a week of strength training (our easy Rx for fitness), don't worry about it! Slicing and dicing your activity into 10-minute chunks spread throughout the day works just as well for your weight, waist-management, and health. Just be sure to do 30 minutes total. Here's a simple way to get started if you've spent the last few months (or years) on the couch.
• Use the buddy system. Why go it alone when being in cahoots with a healthy-change partner doubles your odds for success? You keep each other honest and cheer each other on. Plus, walking and talking with a pal naturally blows off stress -- another big health booster. Check this slideshow for more ways to keep stress from aging your body.)
• Find an enforcer. Don't trust yourself? Add another layer of support: your doc . . . or soon, one of us, Dr. Mike. "Reporting in" regularly is a proven way to get to your goals. Dr. Mike (aka, "The Enforcer" to YOU Doc patients) has done this behind the scenes for years. We're taking it public soon. Keep checking this column.
• Give it 2 weeks. That's how long it takes your brain to start cementing a new habit, such as walking every day. Here's a way to do the minimum and still lose 4 pounds of pure fat.
• Just move it. Pace, don't sit, when you're talking on the phone. Do an extra lap around the office when you go to get coffee. Put your new exercise bike smack in front of the TV (that's where ours are). Clean the kitchen like you're doing an aerobics class. Take a 10-minute break every chance you get and walk -- or just do two flights of stairs. Your break now counts toward your daily exercise goal! Sweet.

Will healthful snacks help you lose weight?

From YOU Docs Daily:

We YOU Docs are all for snacks, especially healthful snacks that keep you from sitting down to a meal hungry enough to gnaw the napkins. Munching a handful of walnuts half an hour before eating is one of the best ways we know to tame a Rottweiler appetite, especially when you're trying to lose weight. Find out why.

But wait. If you want to lose more weight in less time, intriguing new research says to skip mid-morning snacks. Dieters who do lose more than 11 percent of their weight in the same time that morning noshers lose only 7 percent. Why? The gap between breakfast and lunch often isn't that long, you're probably not really hungry but someone brought in doughnuts, and . . . well, you know how this story ends.

In the afternoon, the reverse is true. If there's more than a 5-hour gap between lunch and dinner (routine in our lives), a snack may be essential to dropping a belt size. You're for-real hungry, not just eating because someone had a Krispy Kreme craving. Bonus: Afternoon snackers eat more fruits and veggies!

So be as smart about snacking as you are about talking your boss into an afternoon off. The same study that found mid-morning snacks backfire also found that snacking when you're legitimately hungry helps weight loss IF you eat healthful foods that fill you up with nutrients, not calories. On our top afternoon snacks list: a handful of nuts, no/low-fat yogurt, whole-grain crackers, fresh veggies, fruits, and berries. In fact, a 20-year diet study proved them perfect pounds-fighting snacks.

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients

• • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil 
  • 12 ounces chicken breast tenders 
  • 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1) 
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
  • 1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup green salsa
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
  • 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas 
  • Cooking spray 
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Preparation
  
  
• Preheat broiler.
• 
  
• Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
• 
  
• Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Recipe found here