Blog

5 05

Time & Fitness

2021-05-05T10:05:49-04:00May 5th, 2021|

We’ve all said it before. “I don’t have time to work out on a daily basis.” And it is a very frequent saying! Often, we find ourselves putting other things before fitness and although that can bring you joy, is it going to bring you health as well? That’s the real question. If being fit and healthy is something that you prioritize in your life, then you will make the time in your busy schedule for some fitness component. If you absolutely can not make it, then you can at least eat better in the process providing you a well-balanced diet.

One thing that we can look at is quick and efficient workouts. These being to the likes of a HIIT workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. These workouts aren’t comprised of your typical routines like running these workouts are designed to get your heart rate up at a faster pace and allow you to burn more calories by moving your total body over the course of a smaller time period. Below are 6 further benefits of a HIIT workout regime.

  1. Your metabolic rate is higher for hours after exercise
  2. It can help you lose fat
  3. You might gain muscle using HIIT
  4. HIIT can improve oxygen consumption
  5. It can reduce heart rate and blood pressure
  6. Blood sugar can be reduced by HIIT

There are so many benefits to this level of exercise that you can’t really go wrong. With the weather warming up, you can do any sort of HIIT workouts in your backyard, at a local park, etc. without any equipment either. I highly recommend these workouts if you are looking to improve your lifestyle at a quick rate!

 

3 05

Recipe of the Day

2021-05-03T14:14:58-04:00May 3rd, 2021|

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

  • SERVES:8
  • PREP TIME:20 min
  • COOK TIME:20 min
  • CALORIES:332
  • 1lb Ground turkey
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 small Onion, minced
  • 3Cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
  • 1Can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1Jalapeño, minced (optional)
  • 2 tbsp Taco seasoning
  • 1Can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cup Pepper jack cheese, grated
  • 4 Large bell peppers
  • Cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Green onions

Method

  1. In a large skillet brown meat breaking up into bits. Once cooked through add in chopped onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent.
  2. Remove meat mixture from heat and add in quinoa fire roasted tomatoes, jalapeño, taco seasoning, black beans and 1 cup of the cheese.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife cut peppers in half lengthwise and use a spoon to discard seeds. Line peppers on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  4. Using a large spoon divide filling equally between each bell pepper. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until pepper is tender.
  5. While still hot top peppers with cilantro, avocado and green onions. Serve immediately.
19 04

The Importance of Balance

2021-04-19T12:20:13-04:00April 19th, 2021|

Balance training is so important to our everyday life. Whether it’s beginning as a toddler or when we are active aging adults.

Balance has such a big influence on things such as ankle sprains, it is important to restore ankle function as soon as possible after an injury. One important goal is to prevent the ankle from giving way recurrently during weight-bearing activity, such as running, walking, or even standing. This chronic ankle instability, often caused by inadequate healing or rehabilitation after a sprain, can result in increasingly injurious sprains, arthritis, or tendon problems.

Experts in sports medicine and physical therapy say that in addition to the usual range of motion, flexibility, and strengthening exercises, rehabilitation should include exercises aimed at training the body’s sense of balance as a whole.

Ways to work balance exercise into everyday life:

It may be easier than you think to fit balance training into your daily routine. Try some of the following activities:

  • Stand on one leg whenever you’re waiting in line at the theater, bank, or grocery store.
  • Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth: one minute on one leg while brushing the upper teeth, and another minute on the other leg while brushing the lower teeth.
  • Keep a wobble board in your office; stand on it during a break or whenever you’re on the phone.
  • Practice sitting down and getting up from a chair without using your hands.
  • Practice walking heel to toe — that is, like a tightrope walker, placing the heel of one foot just in front of the toes of the opposite foot each time you take a step.
  • Take a dance class (in person or online. Check out our YWellness24/7 for more online options), or take up social dancing. Although more research is needed, there’s evidence that dance can improve balance and stability. Studies comparing dancers to non-dancers suggest that dancers rely more on proprioception than on visual cues.
  • Check out our Group Ex schedule for a balance class that would be perfect for you.

Not just for athletes

Balance training helps reduce the risk of falls in older adults with balance problems and women with low bone mass. It also improves postural stability after a stroke. More research is needed to identify which components of balance training do the best and to test them for preventing falls and injuries in healthy adults. So far, the evidence hasn’t been sufficient for an official recommendation, such as the one for physical activity that most of us know (by heart!): To reduce your risk for chronic disease and preserve function, get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) on all or most days of the week, plus resistance and flexibility exercise a couple of times a week.

Many organizations, including the National Institute on Aging, recognize the importance of balance for preventing falls — especially among older people — and recommend certain techniques for improving it, often as part of strength training. Besides being one of the normal challenges of aging, balance problems are also a concern for people with such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and osteoporosis.

 

19 04

Recipe of the Day

2021-04-19T12:02:52-04:00April 19th, 2021|

Frozen Fruit Smoothie

prep time 3 MINUTES

total time 3 MINUTES

This Frozen Fruit Smoothie is packed with berries, strawberry yogurt, and cashew milk. Smoothie recipes with frozen fruit are the best because they don’t need any ice to reach the perfect consistency!

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounces (1 heaping cup) frozen mixed berries*
  • 6 ounces Silk Strawberry Dairy-Free Yogurt (or your favorite)
  • 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk (or your favorite milk)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Add the fruit, yogurt, and about 1/2 cup milk to the canister of a blender or food processor. Blend on high power and drizzle in remaining milk, as needed, until desired smoothie texture and consistency is achieved. Serve immediately.
  2. Extra portion will keep in a freezer-safe (plastic) glass for up to 1 month in the freezer. Allow to thaw at room temp for about 1 hour before serving. Alternatively, freeze extra portion in popsicle molds.

NOTES

*I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries; fresh may be substituted but you’ll need to add ice.

24 03

Recipe of the Day

2021-03-24T15:22:27-04:00March 24th, 2021|

Turkey Taco

Ingredients You Will Need

If you want leftovers, I highly recommend doubling the recipe.

  • Ground turkey: Most trays weigh around 1 – 1.3 lbs and that is fine. Extra-lean or lean meatworks.
  • Onion and garlic: They add a lot of flavors and are quick to chop.
  • Taco seasoning: The amount you use will define the level of spiciness. I used 2 tbsp and the meat was spicy but don’t forget other ingredients are quite neutral.
  • Tomato paste: You will need half a regular size 6 oz low sodium can. Ketchup would work too, just use less salt and sugar.

How to Make Turkey Tacos

Tip: Forgot to thaw the turkey and have Instant Pot? Defrost your meat first and then cook for tacos.

  • Saute onion and garlic first to make them fragrant. If you add meat at the same time, it will “boil” the veggies instead of frying them until fragrant. Need 3 minutes of your time here.
  • Cook ground turkey for approximately 10 minutes. You will have to break it into pieces, stir constantly and you will see meat juices that you don’t have to drain. Add taco seasoning in this step to season meat.
  • Make taco meat saucy with tomato paste and water and watch dry meat crumbles transform into glossy taco meat you can’t wait to eat.

Serving Ideas and Variations

Here are ways to serve ground turkey tacos (and taco meat!):

  • In small corn or whole wheat tortillas. Warm them up on a separate pan or in a microwave.
  • Make turkey taco lettuce wraps with Romaine lettuce, swiss chard leaves, or Boston lettuce.
  • Toppings we used: diced avocado, sliced in half grape tomatoes, diced red onion, and shredded lettuce.
  • With super-easy guacamole and Instant Pot refried beans.
  • Use saucy turkey taco meat and make a taco salad – add corn, beans, tortilla chips, and veggies.
  • Stir in with cooked pasta, veggies, and salsa for an easy turkey taco skillet.
  • Leftover brown rice or quinoa? Stir it in and make bowls with produce from your drawers. Sprinkle with cheese and I can assure you it will be glorious!
24 03

Cardio: Form or Speed?

2021-03-24T15:14:41-04:00March 24th, 2021|

Both form and speed are important depending on what you want to gain from your exercise regimen. These factors have an impact on the effectiveness of your cardiovascular health.

If you do not have the proper form, you will be prone to injury. Injuries can sideline exercise, and thus your progress. Nobody wants that. Working out at a snail’s pace may not be the best idea for everyone, but for those who are overweight or are recovering from injury, this is the best approach.

What Should I Do?

Listen to your body. Tailor your exercise to you.

The speed at which you run should match your fitness level and your goals. Period. Don’t overdo it. Thinking about your overall health, you should consider what makes the most sense for your goals.

Bursts of high-intensity running, for example, have been proven, in study after study, to be more beneficial than a longer, prolonged aerobic activity at a slower pace. A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that brisk walking is better for overall health than those who walk at a slower pace. But, there is an alternative: Those who are overweight or suffering from injuries, should walk slower to prevent injury, and then work up to a faster pace over time.

The short answer: Know your body.

The Science Behind Your Cardio Routine

If you’re able to talk on your air pods or to your partner while running, you’re likely not working hard enough. Over time, this pace just won’t cut it if you want to get the full benefits of healthy exercise.

Low-intensity cardio doesn’t burn fat or carbohydrates properly. If you’re only running a couple of times a week, running for speed will get you more bang for your buck in terms of fitness benefits—as long as you give your body time to recover in between runs. You must also be aware of your form, as it is essential to staying in the game.

Switch up your pace, but don’t limit your intensity level because you prefer the slower, longer jog. To get the full benefit of exercise, you will need to push yourself. Going at an easy pace uses fewer muscle fibers while pushing yourself places a good kind of stress on your muscles—the kind that encourages your body to adapt accordingly and improve over time.

The bottom line is you’ll burn more calories per mile when you move faster—even if it means you’re doing your cardio for a shorter amount of time.

An Exercise Plan

Depending on whether you are looking to tone up, lose weight, or simply maintain the body you have, the two types of cardio for you to consider are interval training and longer, slower cardio.

Interval training requires intervals between one and five minutes as a rule of thumb (try two minutes fast, three minutes slower, repeating the cycle for a full 30 minutes).  Long, slow distance runs are self-explanatory running longer distances at an easier pace. Your heart rate should stay under 150, and you can most likely hold a conversation.

Even if you’re not looking to gain muscle mass, you should also make sure that you are completing strength training consistently enough in tandem with cardio training to prevent injury. This could just mean adding some strength training to your workout schedule two to three times a week for about 20 minutes at a time. This should be enough to keep muscles limber to prevent injuries.

 

19 03

Recipe of the Day

2021-03-24T15:22:34-04:00March 19th, 2021|

High Protein Stir Fry

Ingredients

  • 500g turkey/chicken breast pre-chopped.
  • 1 pack of stir fry vegetables pre-prepared
  • 1 cube frozen ginger
  • Soy Sauce (use as much as you need)
  • 2 Packs Pre-Prepared Noodles
  • Cooking Spray

Serves 2 meals for 2 people, or 2 meals for one greedy person!

Method

You will need a wok or a very large frying pan to cook everything in. Woks are better because they are thinner which means they heat up much faster (saving you precious seconds), and they are also designed to hold a lot of food without everything spilling out whenever you stir it.

Place your wok or frying pan on your stovetop after spraying with cooking spray (alternatively you can use cooking oil, but remember that 1tbsp contains 120 calories). Add the cube of frozen ginger in the wok and then toss in the pre-chopped chicken. Brown off the chicken and add in the stir-fry vegetables, stirring constantly.

Add in the pre-prepared noodles and then cover everything in Soy Sauce. Stir like crazy and then leave it for a couple of minutes until everything has cooked. Serve immediately.

Calories and Macros

Everyone is different, so they will all have different calorie requirements. As we mentioned in the ingredients section, this meal can feed 2 people twice, but it could also feed one person twice depending on their calorie needs. But we’ll go with the average serving size here, which means that the entire recipe is 4 servings. Our calories and macros will reflect this. We won’t include the values for the Soy Sauce, ginger, or cooking spray because they are so low in calories it wouldn’t be worth it.

Total: (calories 406, 42.1g protein, 5.4g fat, 46.1g carbs)

  • 125g Chicken Breast (132 calories, 30g protein, 1.4g fat, 0g carbs)
  • 100g Stir Fry Veg (53 calories, 2.5g protein, 1.9g fat, 5.1g carbs)
  • 150g Straight to Wok Noodles (221 calories, 9.6g protein, 2.1g fat, 41g carbs)

Substitutions

Obviously, this meal is all about time and health, and it probably doesn’t do much justice to the proud history of Chinese cuisine. There are many ways that you could immediately upgrade it (using fresh chilies, ginger, garlic, spring onions, and properly prepared noodles would all help).

18 03

Exercising with Limited Time

2021-03-18T14:04:21-04:00March 18th, 2021|

Good afternoon everyone!

It’s Dan Roan with the YMCA back for our third installment of Blogs w/ Dan. Today I am looking forward to discussing a very important topic and probably the number one excuse I hear on a daily basis. Do you ever find yourself wanting to work out, but the day just gets away from you? You constantly tell yourself that it’s not your fault that you don’t have time and this is something that becomes a pattern and keeps dragging on and on and on. Listen, we are all busy and I don’t doubt that you truly don’t have the time when looking at your schedule. I’m here to share some tips with you on how we can better improve our time management to fit in that ever so important element of exercise.

  1. Prioritize walking or biking

See your proximity to your workplace. If it’s within a mile walk or so, leave your car at home and make that walk. Grab a bike if it’s over a mile or so and wear a backpack. Incorporating these types of priorities are going to make your commute so much sweeter.

Park in a spot that is the furthest away from your building. On average, people go to their car 3 times per day, so that is getting a significant walk.

  1. Exercise at lunchtime

Lots of people take advantage of this skill. In a normal office, employees are given at least 30 minutes and sometimes up to an hour. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of exercise. Go on a walk to the nearest trail. Drive downtown and walk up and down the streets. You can even walk and eat your lunch at the same time.

  1. Incorporating exercise in a daily routine

 Use the stairs more often, ask your boss for a standing desk when at work. Even replacing your chair with an exercise ball is a good alternative option.

These are just a few to name. But they are all very good when we think about the option to get some exercise in our daily activities. Join me next week to go over some more tips and tricks to living a better life.

12 03

Recipe of the Day

2021-03-12T15:20:32-05:00March 12th, 2021|

Chocolate And Walnut Covered Banana Bites

What You’ll Need: Dark chocolate chips or a bar, coconut oil, walnuts, bananas

These frozen chocolate-covered banana bites are perfect to keep in the freezer for easy snacking during a hot day or even a couple of hours after dinner. Slice bananas into 1-inch sections. Microwave chocolate and coconut oil (it helps to thin the chocolate out) together until it becomes liquid. Chop up walnuts and layout on a plate. Skewer your bananas with a toothpick, and set up your workflow: dunk bananas into the chocolate, let drip as much as possible, then roll in the walnuts. Lay on a sheet of parchment paper. Once you’ve done all of them, toss a sheet in the freezer until they firm up. Once all the individual bananas are frozen, you can store them in a single bag.

12 03

Healthy & Wellness tips

2021-03-12T12:41:53-05:00March 12th, 2021|

Good morning!

My name is Daniel Roan, and I am back for my second blog of the week. I am here today to share some knowledge with you in the world of fitness. Thanks for coming along with me on my journey! Since taking this position, I have been asked a lot of fitness-related questions. I’ve started this blog to help answer those questions and to help everyone find more information on fitness.

Today’s post is about helpful tips pertaining to exercise and dietary needs. Please check it out!

  • Eating past 8 pm, especially things of high caloric intake (desserts, high fatty snacks, foods saturated in oils, etc.) can lead to weight gain. The reasoning behind this is because it is often called “mindless” eating. Mindless eating can refer to just snacking when you really are not hungry, or when you are bored. Our body wants to shut down around the 8 pm threshold and if we put these types of food into our bodies, we can gain weight rapidly.
  • Exercises that increase the heart rate, but do not have the intensity or strain on the joints like jogging or running could, such as an incline walk on a treadmill can be just as good for someone who has joint pain or arthritis. It is a lower intensity, but the incline suggests that we are enduring the muscles for longer periods of time rather than a flat treadmill walk.
  • Sometimes working out with a friend or family member can be all of the motivation you need! Working out alone can get boring and lonely. Often you find that you don’t have the motivation to complete the workout or go as far or as long as you may originally want to. Bring a friend to the workout with you and get the most out of it!

Remember to check back at these blogs weekly to find out some more fitness tips and other topics that we will continue to discuss. If you want to discuss a specific topic or want to dive into a topic deeper, please reach out to me via email at danielroan@icymca.org. Thank you!

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Indiana, PA 15701
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