More Motivation - Exercise lowers cancer risk

If all you had to do to lower your cancer risk was a brisk walk, would you take 30 minutes out of your day?

According to one cancer researcher, physical activity can curb your obesity risk, which in turn can reduce your odds of a life-threatening cancer.

About 35.7 percent of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity has been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

In addition, the National Cancer Institute reports that obesity raises risk for cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colon, breast (after menopause), endometrium (lining of the uterus), kidney, thyroid and gallbladder, with recent studies reporting increased rates of obesity-related cancers among Americans.

There are several reasons why obesity is such a major risk factor for cancer. Dr. Karen Basen-Engquist, director of MD Anderson's Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship in Houston, Texas, told CBSNews.com that obesity can cause metabolic dysfunction, or disrupt how your body uses the energy from the foods that you eat. Obesity is also known to increase inflammation by interrupting the process of cytokines, which are small molecules that help cells send signals to each other.

In addition, obesity can affect sex hormones. In the case of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, having more fat tissue may increase the amount of estrogen, which in turn can fuel the growth of these tumors, she added.

The CDC recommends that adults get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity workouts or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise each week, in addition to strength-training exercises. Basen-Engquist said studies show that a good benchmark to aim for is 30 to 60 minutes a day -- and all you might have to do is walk.

"When we're talking about moderate-intensity exercise, we're talking about doing exercise kind of at the level of a brisk walk," Basen-Engquist explained. "So, your heart rate goes up, you're breathing a little bit faster, but you're not doing an all-out run."

One simple way to tell if you're exercising hard enough is that you should be able to talk to the person next to you during moderate-intensity exercise, but you won't be able to sing, Basen-Engquist said. If you are exercising vigorously, you'll be able to chat, but it will probably be two or three words at a time.

Also, you don't have to work out all at once. Studies show breaking up your workouts into manageable time chunks still may provide health benefits.

"It's important to know even if you do (exercise) in 10 minute bouts throughout the day you can still benefit from that," she said.

Studies show that time may pay off: Women who worked out 10 hours or more a week reduced their breast cancer risk by 30 percent according to a 2012 study in Cancer.

What may be most important is you don't stay sedentary all day. A July 2012 study showed that sitting less than three hours a day may add up to two years to your life. Long periods of sitting has been tied to increased risk of weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and certain forms of cancer including colorectal, ovarian and endometrial, Basen-Engquist said.

"We've been finding out that independent of that time you spend exercising, there's also are negative effects of the time we spent sitting," she said.
© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Workout at Home

Exercise 1: Bodyweight Squat

Stand as tall as you can with your feet spread slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms straight out in front of your body at shoulder level, so that your arms parallel to the floor [A]. Keep your torso as upright as you can for the entire movement, with your lower back slightly arched. Brace your abs, and lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees [B]. Pause, then push yourself back to the starting position. That's one repetition. Do 15 to 20 repetitions.

Exercise 2: Incline Push-up

Assume a push-up position, but place your hands placed on a raised surface—such as a box, bench, ottoman or one of the steps of your stairs—instead of the floor. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head [A]. Keeping your body rigid, lower your body until your upper arms dip below your elbows. Pause, and then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as possible [B]. (The higher the surface on which you place your hands, the easier the exercise becomes—you can even lean against a wall if you need to.) If the incline push-up is too easy, do it the old-fashioned way, with your hands on the floor. Do 12 to 15 repetitions.

Exercise 3: Hip Raise

 

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your arms out to your sides at a 45-degree angle, your palms facing up. Now try to make your tummy as skinny as possible and hold it that way—this gives you a tight core—while breathing normally. That's the starting position [A]. Keeping your core tight, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause for five seconds—squeezing your glutes tightly the entire time—then lower body back to the starting position [B]. Do 10 repetitions.

Exercise 4: Side Plank 

Lie on your right side with your knees straight. Prop your upper body on your right elbow and forearm, which should be directly below your right shoulder. Place your left hand on your left hip. Try to make your tummy as skinny as possible and hold it that way—this gives you a tight core—while breathing normally. Then raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. With your core tight, hold this position for 30 seconds. Roll onto your other side and repeat.
If the side plank is too difficult, hold for five seconds, rest for five seconds, and repeat as many times as needed to total 30 seconds. Each time you perform the exercise, try to hold each repetition a little longer, so that you reach your 30-second goal with fewer repetitions.

If that's still too hard, bend your knees 90 degrees and allow your lower legs to rest on the floor as you do the exercise. (Your body will now form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.)

Last week in my Farm share from ten lakes farm in eureka I had zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.  This was the perfect recipe to use them up in one dish and it was yummy.  Enjoy!!     Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried parsley 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 2 zucchini, sliced 1 large onion, sliced into rings 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 1 green bell pepper, sliced 2 large tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2.	Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes.
3.	Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of cheese.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Cabbage Fruit Salad

This is one of my favorite, light summer recipes.  Enjoy!!

2 each – Medium Apples 4 cup – Green and/or Red cabbage, raw 0.25 cup – Currants or raisins 1 cup – Red or Green Grapes 1 tbsp  - Honey 1 tbsp – Lemon Juice 2 each - Oranges 1/4 cup almond milk, or milk of your choice 1/2 cup – Grapeseed Veganaise, light mayo or plain yogurt 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Chop oranges and apples. Cut grapes in half. In a large bowl, toss cabbage, oranges, apples, grapes and currants. Cover and refrigerate.  In a small bowl, combine the veganaise or yogurt, almond milk, lemon juice and honey; cover and refrigerate.  Just before serving, stir dressing and walnuts into salad.