“Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.” - Jefferson Bethke
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK
Challenge of the Week, Siwicki Fit Fam! Let’s GO! I challenge you to practice Yoga this week. There are too many benefits (listed in INDUSTRY NEWS) to ignore. Yoga strengthens, tones and stretches your body. We have an incredible Yoga instructor, Sumi Choi, who teaches classes every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. - what an awesome way to end the week.
TIP OF THE WEEK
TIP OF THE WEEK
Thanksgiving just passed. I know this year has brought so many challenges - but I promise you team, an attitude of gratitude changes everything. I remember once hearing, “If you feel like you have nothing to be thankful for, I want you to get out of bed put your feet on the ground and be thankful for your feet.” You have a body, let’s maybe start with that. I am so grateful for all of you tuning in to the workouts and always giving it your all. My TIP this week is that you write down something you are thankful for every night throughout the next week. Share it with me, I would love to hear from you.
siwicki fit fam
CHRISTIE CHORBAJIAN
Name: Christie Chorbajian
Age: 33
Children: 0
Job: Marriage and Family Therapist/DBT Therapist
Current hometown: Columbia, MD
Alma Mater: University of Maryland - College Park
Previous Gym: 24 Hour Fitness
Favorite Siwicki Fitness class: Tie between Strength & Abs and Tabata!
Hobbies: Playing with my nieces/nephews; Watching beauty tutorials;Playing with Hair and Make-Up; Reading; KARAOKE
Fun Fact about yourself: I speak fluent Spanish though it's not my native language! I want to learn Armenian next!
What is your favorite book: The Count of Monte Cristo
What is your favorite movie: The Philadelphia Story
What is your favorite tv show: Guilty Pleasure is ANYTHING on Bravo, but my all-time favorite is Felicity
meal+snack ideas
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
3 large shallots, sliced into 1/8 inch thickness
1/4 cup almond meal or flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
10 oz white or brown button mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, tips snipped off
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dry bay leaves
1 cup vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Place the cashews in a medium sized bowl, and cover them with water until they are completely submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Once the cashews have soaked, drain them and rinse thoroughly. Place the cashews in a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of water. Process on high speed until pureed into a thick cream consistency.
Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Place the shallot slices in a medium bowl and sprinkle the almond meal, arrowroot flour, ground pepper, and salt over the shallots. Toss to evenly coat the shallots. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan or skillet on high. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) reduce the heat slightly to medium high and add the coated shallots and fry them, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown, about five minutes or so. Once they are golden brown, move them to the baking sheet.
Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn to medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they are brown, about 5-7 minutes depending on how thick the mushrooms are. Pour the mushrooms and any accumulated liquid, into a heatproof bowl.
Add the final 2 tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until they soften about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the green beans, thyme, bay leaves, pureed cashews and vegetable stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are slightly tender but crisp in the center, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and liquid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Once done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaves before plating and sprinkle the fried shallots over the green beans before serving.
SWEET POTATO ROUNDS WITH HERBED RICOTTA AND WALNUTS
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato sliced into ¼-inch rounds
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 pinch Ground cinnamon
HERBED RICOTTA:
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1-½ tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp honey
¼ tsp sea salt or to taste
FOR SERVING:
1 cup raw walnuts roasted and chopped
¾ cup dried cranberries
honey
Add all of the ingredients for the herbed ricotta to a small bowl and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the sweet potato slices to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle sea salt and ground cinnamon over rounds. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasoning on both sides of the sweet potato rounds. Arrange rounds on a large baking sheet (or two if necessary). Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the rounds, then bake for another 17 to 20 minutes, or until rounds are cooked through and crispy on the edges
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet. 10 minutes before the potato rounds are finished cooking, place the walnuts in the oven to roast.
Remove sweet potato rounds and walnuts from the oven. Place walnuts on a cutting board and chop.
Place oven on high broil setting and move the oven wrack second to the top shelf. Place a dollop of herbed ricotta on each sweet potato round and place in the oven for 2 minutes, just until ricotta is melty and warm.
Add chopped walnuts and dried cranberries to the rounds. Drizzle with honey and serve!
Roasted Vegetable Galette
Ingredients:
Crust:
250g wholemeal flour
¼ tsp salt
115 g chilled unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup crème fraiche
2 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup cold water
1 spring of fresh thyme, leaves chopped
Vegetable filling:
5 small carrots (or 3 medium), peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
350g butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 head of garlic, outer layers peeled
salt and freshly ground pepper
creamy goat cheese, crumbled
To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and using your hands rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraiche, lemon juice and cold water. Add the mixture to the flour mixture and blend everything together with a fork. Stir in chopped thyme. Do not knead the dough. Gather the clumps into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and flatten a bit. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 180℃. Put all the vegetables into a roasting tray. Sprinkle with herbs and drizzle over 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss everything together until all the vegetables are evenly coated. Cut off the top of the garlic head, exposing the cloves. Drizzle some olive oil on top and wrap in foil. Place the garlic on the roasting tray with the vegetables. Roast the vegetables about 20-30 minutes stirring once or twice until tender. Squeeze the garlic into a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add the roasted vegetables, half of the cheese and toss gently.
Increase oven temperature to 200℃. Unwrap the dough and press the edges so that there are no cracks. Dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour and roll out the dough into a 30cm circle about 0.5cm thick. Transfer the dough on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Arrange the vegetables on the dough, leaving a 5cm border. Scatter over the remaining goat cheese and fold the edges over the filling. Bake on the lower half of the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
INDUSTRY NEWS
13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science
Derived from the Sanskrit word “yuji,” meaning yoke or union, yoga is an ancient practice that brings together mind and body. It incorporates breathing exercises, meditation and poses designed to encourage relaxation and reduce stress. Practicing yoga is said to come with many benefits for both mental and physical health, though not all of these benefits have been backed by science.
This article takes a look at 13 evidence-based benefits of yoga.
1. Can Decrease Stress
Yoga is known for its ability to ease stress and promote relaxation. In fact, multiple studies have shown that it can decrease the secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. One study demonstrated the powerful effect of yoga on stress by following 24 women who perceived themselves as emotionally distressed. After a three-month yoga program, the women had significantly lower levels of cortisol. They also had lower levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression. Another study of 131 people had similar results, showing that 10 weeks of yoga helped reduce stress and anxiety. It also helped improve quality of life and mental health.
When used alone or along with other methods of alleviating stress, such as meditation, yoga can be a powerful way to keep stress in check.
SUMMARY:
Studies show that yoga can help ease stress and lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
2. Relieves Anxiety
Many people begin practicing yoga as a way to cope with feelings of anxiety. Interestingly enough, there is quite a bit of research showing that yoga can help reduce anxiety. In one study, 34 women diagnosed with an anxiety disorder participated in yoga classes twice weekly for two months. At the end of the study, those who practiced yoga had significantly lower levels of anxiety than the control group. Another study followed 64 women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by severe anxiety and fear following exposure to a traumatic event. After 10 weeks, the women who practiced yoga once weekly had fewer symptoms of PTSD. In fact, 52% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD at all. It’s not entirely clear exactly how yoga is able to reduce symptoms of anxiety. However, it emphasizes the importance of being present in the moment and finding a sense of peace, which could help treat anxiety.
SUMMARY:
Several studies show that practicing yoga can lead to a decrease in symptoms of anxiety.
3. May Reduce Inflammation
In addition to improving your mental health, some studies suggest that practicing yoga may reduce inflammation as well. Inflammation is a normal immune response, but chronic inflammation can contribute to the development of pro-inflammatory diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. A 2015 study divided 218 participants into two groups: those who practiced yoga regularly and those who didn’t. Both groups then performed moderate and strenuous exercises to induce stress. At the end of the study, the individuals who practiced yoga had lower levels of inflammatory markers than those who didn’t. Similarly, a small 2014 study showed that 12 weeks of yoga reduced inflammatory markers in breast cancer survivors with persistent fatigue. Although more research is needed to confirm the beneficial effects of yoga on inflammation, these findings indicate that it may help protect against certain diseases caused by chronic inflammation.
SUMMARY:
Some studies show that yoga may reduce inflammatory markers in the body and help prevent pro-inflammatory diseases.
4. Could Improve Heart Health
From pumping blood throughout the body to supplying tissues with important nutrients, the health of your heart is an essential component of overall health. Studies show that yoga may help improve heart health and reduce several risk factors for heart disease. One study found that participants over 40 years of age who practiced yoga for five years had a lower blood pressure and pulse rate than those who didn’t. High blood pressure is one of the major causes of heart problems, such as heart attacks and stroke. Lowering your blood pressure can help reduce the risk of these problems. Some research also suggests that incorporating yoga into a healthy lifestyle could help slow the progression of heart disease. A study followed 113 patients with heart disease, looking at the effects of a lifestyle change that included one year of yoga training combined with dietary modifications and stress management. Participants saw a 23% decrease in total cholesterol and a 26% reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol. Additionally, the progression of heart disease stopped in 47% of patients.
It’s unclear how much of a role yoga may have had versus other factors like diet. Yet it can minimize stress, one of the major contributors to heart disease.
SUMMARY:
Alone or in combination with a healthy lifestyle, yoga may help decrease risk factors for heart disease.
5. Improves Quality of Life
Yoga is becoming increasingly common as an adjunct therapy to improve quality of life for many individuals. In one study, 135 seniors were assigned to either six months of yoga, walking or a control group. Practicing yoga significantly improved quality of life, as well as mood and fatigue, compared to the other groups. Other studies have looked at how yoga can improve quality of life and reduce symptoms in patients with cancer. One study followed women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Yoga decreased symptoms of chemotherapy, such as nausea and vomiting, while also improving overall quality of life. A similar study looked at how eight weeks of yoga affected women with breast cancer. At the end of the study, the women had less pain and fatigue with improvements in levels of invigoration, acceptance and relaxation. Other studies have found that yoga may help improve sleep quality, enhance spiritual well-being, improve social function and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer.
SUMMARY:
Some studies show that yoga could improve quality of life and may be used as an adjunct therapy for some conditions.
6. May Fight Depression
Some studies show that yoga may have an anti-depressant effect and could help decrease symptoms of depression.
This may be because yoga is able to decrease levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that influences levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter often associated with depression. In one study, participants in an alcohol dependence program practiced Sudarshan Kriya, a specific type of yoga that focuses on rhythmic breathing. After two weeks, participants had fewer symptoms of depression and lower levels of cortisol. They also had lower levels of ACTH, a hormone responsible for stimulating the release of cortisol. Other studies have had similar results, showing an association between practicing yoga and decreased symptoms of depression. Based on these results, yoga may help fight depression, alone or in combination with traditional methods of treatment.
SUMMARY:
Several studies have found that yoga may decrease symptoms of depression by influencing the production of stress hormones in the body.
7. Could Reduce Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a persistent problem that affects millions of people and has a range of possible causes, from injuries to arthritis. There is a growing body of research demonstrating that practicing yoga could help reduce many types of chronic pain. In one study, 42 individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome either received a wrist splint or did yoga for eight weeks. At the end of the study, yoga was found to be more effective in reducing pain and improving grip strength than wrist splinting. Another study in 2005 showed that yoga could help decrease pain and improve physical function in participants with osteoarthritis of the knees.
Although more research is needed, incorporating yoga into your daily routine may be beneficial for those who suffer from chronic pain.
SUMMARY:
Yoga may help reduce chronic pain in conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis.
8. Could Promote Sleep Quality
Poor sleep quality has been associated with obesity, high blood pressure and depression, among other disorders. Studies show that incorporating yoga into your routine could help promote better sleep. In a 2005 study, 69 elderly patients were assigned to either practice yoga, take an herbal preparation or be part of the control group. The yoga group fell asleep faster, slept longer and felt more well-rested in the morning than the other groups. Another study looked at the effects of yoga on sleep in patients with lymphoma. They found that it decreased sleep disturbances, improved sleep quality and duration and reduced the need for sleep medications. Though the way it works is not clear, yoga has been shown to increase the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness.
Yoga also has a significant effect on anxiety, depression, chronic pain and stress — all common contributors to sleep problems.
SUMMARY:
Yoga may help enhance sleep quality because of its effects on melatonin and its impact on several common contributors to sleep problems.
9. Improves Flexibility and Balance
Many people add yoga to their fitness routine to improve flexibility and balance.
There is considerable research that backs this benefit, demonstrating that it can optimize performance through the use of specific poses that target flexibility and balance. A recent study looked at the impact of 10 weeks of yoga on 26 male college athletes. Doing yoga significantly increased several measures of flexibility and balance, compared to the control group. Another study assigned 66 elderly participants to either practice yoga or calisthenics, a type of body weight exercise. After one year, total flexibility of the yoga group increased by nearly four times that of the calisthenics group. A 2013 study also found that practicing yoga could help improve balance and mobility in older adults. Practicing just 15–30 minutes of yoga each day could make a big difference for those looking to enhance performance by increasing flexibility and balance.
SUMMARY:
Research shows that practicing yoga can help improve balance and increase flexibility.
10. Could Help Improve Breathing
Pranayama, or yogic breathing, is a practice in yoga that focuses on controlling the breath through breathing exercises and techniques. Most types of yoga incorporate these breathing exercises, and several studies have found that practicing yoga could help improve breathing. In one study, 287 college students took a 15-week class where they were taught various yoga poses and breathing exercises. At the end of the study, they had a significant increase in vital capacity. Vital capacity is a measure of the maximum amount of air that can be expelled from the lungs. It is especially important for those with lung disease, heart problems and asthma. Another study in 2009 found that practicing yogic breathing improved symptoms and lung function in patients with mild-to-moderate asthma. Improving breathing can help build endurance, optimize performance and keep your lungs and heart healthy.
SUMMARY:
Yoga incorporates many breathing exercises, which could help improve breathing and lung function.
11. May Relieve Migraines
Migraines are severe recurring headaches that affect an estimated 1 out of 7 Americans each year. Traditionally, migraines are treated with medications to relieve and manage symptoms. However, increasing evidence shows that yoga could be a useful adjunct therapy to help reduce migraine frequency. A 2007 study divided 72 patients with migraines into either a yoga therapy or self-care group for three months. Practicing yoga led to reductions in headache intensity, frequency and pain compared to the self-care group. Another study treated 60 patients with migraines using conventional care with or without yoga. Doing yoga resulted in a greater decrease in headache frequency and intensity than conventional care alone. Researchers suggest that doing yoga may help stimulate the vagus nerve, which has been shown to be effective in relieving migraines.
SUMMARY:
Studies show that yoga may stimulate the vagus nerve and reduce migraine intensity and frequency, alone or in combination with conventional care.
12. Promotes Healthy Eating Habits
Mindful eating, also known as intuitive eating, is a concept that encourages being present in the moment while eating.
It’s about paying attention to the taste, smell and texture of your food and noticing any thoughts, feelings or sensations you experience while eating. This practice has been shown to promote healthy eating habits that help control blood sugar, increase weight loss and treat disordered eating behaviors. Because yoga places a similar emphasis on mindfulness, some studies show that it could be used to encourage healthy eating behaviors. One study incorporated yoga into an outpatient eating disorder treatment program with 54 patients, finding that yoga helped reduce both eating disorder symptoms and preoccupation with food. Another small study looked at how yoga affected symptoms of binge eating disorder, a disorder characterized by compulsive overeating and a feeling of loss of control. Yoga was found to cause a decrease in episodes of binge eating, an increase in physical activity and a small decrease in weight. For those with and without disordered eating behaviors, practicing mindfulness through yoga can aid in the development of healthy eating habits.
SUMMARY:
Yoga encourages mindfulness, which may be used to help promote mindful eating and healthy eating habits.
13. Can Increase Strength
In addition to improving flexibility, yoga is a great addition to an exercise routine for its strength-building benefits. In fact, there are specific poses in yoga that are designed to increase strength and build muscle. In one study, 79 adults performed 24 cycles of sun salutations — a series of foundational poses often used as a warm-up — six days a week for 24 weeks. They experienced a significant increase in upper body strength, endurance and weight loss. Women had a decrease in body fat percentage, as well. A 2015 study had similar findings, showing that 12 weeks of practice led to improvements in endurance, strength and flexibility in 173 participants. Based on these findings, practicing yoga can be an effective way to boost strength and endurance, especially when used in combination with a regular exercise routine.
SUMMARY:
Some studies show that yoga can cause an increase in strength, endurance and flexibility.
The Bottom Line
Multiple studies have confirmed the many mental and physical benefits of yoga. Incorporating it into your routine can help enhance your health, increase strength and flexibility and reduce symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Finding the time to practice yoga just a few times per week may be enough to make a noticeable difference when it comes to your health.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Large study finds clear association between fitness and mental health
By: Timothy Huzar
New research from a large study demonstrates that low cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength have a significant association with worse mental health.
Researchers have reported a clear link between low physical fitness and the risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both.
The study, which included more than 150,000 participants, found that cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength independently contribute to a greater risk of worse mental health.
However, the researchers saw the most significant association when they looked at cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength in combination.
The research, which appears in the journal BMC Medicine, may help inform clinical guidance on mental health and physical fitness.
Physical and mental health
Problems with mental health, just like physical health issues, can have a significant negative effect on a person’s life. Two of the more common mental health conditions are anxiety and depression.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 18.1% of adults in the United States have experienced an anxiety disorder in the past year. In addition, the National Institute of Mental Health note that 7.1% of U.S. adults have had a major depressive episode.
There is growing evidence that being physically active may help prevent or treat mental health conditions. However, many questions still need answering.
For example, what measures should researchers use to quantify physical activity? In what ways can it prevent mental health issues or improve a person’s mental health? And is it possible to demonstrate a causal link between physical activity and better mental health?
It is important to have detailed evidence of the relationship between physical activity and mental health, as well as the mechanisms that might underlie it. With this information, clinicians can offer more targeted guidance to people with mental health conditions.
To begin to answer some of these questions, a team of researchers analyzed an existing large dataset that allowed them to build on their understanding of the association between physical fitness and mental health.
A study of 152,978 participants
In the present study, the researchers drew on data from the U.K. Biobank — a data repository comprising information from more than 500,000 volunteers aged 40–69 years from England, Wales, and Scotland.
Between August 2009 and December 2010, a subset of the U.K. Biobank participants — amounting to 152,978 participants — underwent tests to measure their fitness.
Investigators assessed the participants’ cardiorespiratory fitness by monitoring their heart rate before, during, and after a 6-minute submaximal exercise test on a stationary bicycle.
They also measured the volunteers’ grip strength, which the researchers of the present study used as a proxy for muscle strength.
Alongside these physical fitness tests, the participants completed two standard clinical questionnaires relating to anxiety and depression to give the researchers an overview of their mental health.
After 7 years, the researchers assessed each person’s anxiety and depression again using the same two clinical questionnaires.
In their analysis, the researchers accounted for potential confounding factors, such as age, natal sex, previous mental health issues, smoking status, income level, physical activity, educational experience, parental depression, and diet.
A clear correlation
The researchers found a significant correlation between the participants’ initial physical fitness and their mental health 7 years later.
Participants who were classified as having low combined cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength had 98% higher odds of experiencing depression and 60% higher odds of experiencing anxiety.
The researchers also looked at the separate correlations between mental health and cardiorespiratory fitness, and mental health and muscle strength. They found that each measure of fitness was individually associated with a change in risk but less significantly so than the combination of measures.
According to Aaron Kandola, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in the Division of Psychiatry at University College London, United Kingdom:
“Here, we have provided further evidence of a relationship between physical and mental health and that structured exercise aimed at improving different types of fitness is not only good for your physical health, but may also have mental health benefits.”
– Aaron Kandola
Is it causation?
The study is a robust prospective study with a long follow-up period of 7 years and objective measures of both the risk factor (cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength) and the outcome (depression, anxiety, or both).
Although it demonstrates a correlation between physical fitness and better mental health outcomes, this does not necessarily mean that there is a causal relationship between the two. For example, it could be that people with better mental health are more likely to stay physically active.
However, the researchers deployed various statistical techniques that they say suggest that there is likely to be a causal relationship between physical fitness and better mental health.
In addition to adjusting for potential confounding factors that are associated with both low levels of fitness and depression and anxiety — such as smoking — the authors also conducted a number of sensitivity analyses.
They checked for reverse causation (when the outcome is actually the cause) by excluding people who were depressed or anxious at the start of the study. They also changed the cut-off values that determined whether people had depression. Neither of these analyses changed their findings.
What remains is the need to demonstrate the mechanisms that might account for this relationship.
Nonetheless, the findings are still important. As well as providing further evidence for the beneficial effects of physical activity on mental health, the study is also one of the first to use objective measures of physical fitness to do so.
For the researchers, this could mean that quantitative physical fitness measures and, in particular, measures of both cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength — rather than self-reports of physical activity — could potentially serve as indicators of mental health risk for clinicians.
Encouragingly, the researchers note that a person can meaningfully improve their physical fitness in as little as 3 weeks. Based on their figures, this may reduce the person’s risk of developing a common mental health condition by up to 32.5%.
For Kandola, the findings are particularly pertinent given the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“Reports that people are not as active as they used to be are worrying, and even more so now that global lockdowns have closed gyms and limited how much time people are spending out of the house,” says Kandola. “Physical activity is an important part of our lives and can play a key role in preventing mental health disorders.”
