Pumping Marvellous

The Chilli Challenge

Pumping Mavellous took 5 can’t cook won’t cook men and converted them into budding chefs. Nick and Tricia one of the Heart Stars set the challenge to make a chilli and serve to the people attending the mens health event in Blackburn. The chilli was a vegetable chilli made with Quorn and cost £3.27 to make. Once cooked the chefs made wraps with lettuce, tomato, low fat cheese and sour cream with a ladle of chilli. I think some of the chefs were a bit surprised how good there food was. The food was received with delight by the people at the event.

The challenge comes where they take all the ingredients home and cook it for there family. The family then scores them on taste and presentation and the winning score wins a £30 food voucher with 2nd prize winning £20 and 3rd prize winning £10.

The idea behind the event was to try to show people that cooking is easy and effortless and you can cook on a budget with fresh healthy ingredients with no added salt for just over £4 for a family of 4. The recipe was heart healthy and contained no added salt, very low fat and lots of fresh ingredients.

Pictures from our Heart Day Event in Blackburn

Eat Well Plate

Children at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Exercising with the Blackburn Health Team

Children listening to their Heart

Tips on boosting your immune system

Healthy food for your Immune System

Let’s face it — some people have better immunity than others or do they and if they do how do they achieve it?

It is very important to keep in mind that it’s normal to get a cold or flu in cold and flu season, even if you do everything right to boost your immunity.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of catching every virus, you were one of those who avoided most of them? Interestingly, there are factors that may cause some people to have better immunity than others. Here are some tips for a more “immune healthy lifestyle”

• Get your sleep – 8 hours is optimal
• Keep your hands clean – use bactericide soap - a lot of cold and flu virus are transmitted by door handles or even lift buttons to name a few
• Eat healthy foods including lots of fruit, vegeatables, wholgrains and lean protein – also it maybe a good idea to top up with a multi vitamin
• Regular exercise, doesn’t need to be a lot but just regular every week
• Manage your stress and deal with situations if you can, if not your Carer will help you
• Be a sociable person and have a positive outlook. People who tend to be gregarious tend to be able to keep their colds at bay

Remember you must always consult your Doctor or Heart Failure Nurse if you are going to take on board new nutritional and exercise based regimes.

Numerous studies have found that walking offers tremendous cardiac benefits. It helps people improve their fitness levels and endurance capacity, and it burns calories to aid in weight loss. Walking can lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol levels and your body’s ability to handle glucose or sugar, and reduce your risk of diabetes.

Aim to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times a week. Moderate-intensity exercise is seen as the equivalent of a brisk walk, as if you have someplace to go, while vigorous exercise is even faster walking. If you’re starting an exercise program, just avoid doing vigorous activity until you’ve been exercising for a few months. The same goes for people with existing heart problems: Unless you have your doctor’s  or nurses okay, stick with moderate-intensity regimes.

If 30 minutes sounds too daunting at first, you can get the same benefits by doing three 10-minute bouts each day. For instance, maybe you walk your dog for 10 minutes in the morning, take a 10-minute stroll at lunch, and walk for another 10 minutes after dinner.

Strength Training for Heart Health

Strength training will not replace aerobic exercise but compliments and  boosts muscular strength and endurance; helps your body handle blood sugars; reduces blood pressure; and increases lean body mass, which can help prevent weight gain. Because you’re losing lean body mass, which burns more calories than fat, you gain weight. However, when you do strength training, you maintain lean body mass and prevent weight gain.

Do strength training for your entire body twice a week, completing one set of eight to 12 repetitions for each muscle group. As you progress, increase to two or three sets. If you’re not sure where to start, work with a certified personal trainer for one or two sessions,  or buy an instructional DVD or book. If the Gym is a local council run gym they are certified to help you make decisions, even better apply to join a Healthy Lifetsyle Team monitored event.

Pair your strength training and aerobic activities with a heart-friendly diet and you’ll be well on your way to building a stronger, healthier heart.

Always consult your Doctor or Heart Failure Nurse if you are doing strength training and if you have been sedentary for awhile, check with your Doctor or Heart Failure Nurse before starting any exercise regime.

Whether you’re looking to lose weight or maintain your current size, it all comes down to calories. Calories in must equal calories out to keep your weight steady;

1. Measure Portions to Prevent Overeating
2. Count Every Snack
3. Limit Nibbling on Food While You Cook
4. Put It on a Plate – Put all your food on a plate, make sure the plate size is the same all the time. Don’t eat out of bags etc
5. Choose Filling Foods – Lean proteins like fish and chicken as well as wholegrains are very good
6. Don’t Put Extra Food on the Table – Make sure you use the put it on a plate method
7. Cut Your Meal in Half – Dining out prodcues huge portions – take a doggie bag home with you
8. Slow Down and Enjoy – Concentrate on healthy eating by taking small bites, chewing thoroughly, and enjoying your food
9. Don’t Forget to Drink Water
10. Listen to Your Body – Don’t use food as a way of managing issues or opening a bag of crisps because you are watching TV or popcorn when watching a DVD
11. Cue Your Taste Buds: The Meal Is Over – Many of us don’t feel a meal is complete without dessert. Try retraining your taste buds. Healthy eating means knowing when to stop.
12. Do Your Homework  – Do you know what a portion looks like – click here
13. Don’t give up – stay focussed and your body and attitude will train themselves

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Meet the Fantastic Five – Lancashire Heart Heroes- http://t.co/dzqWfLt1 - This is a newsletter that we send out to our dedicated followers of Pumping Marvellous. This particular newsletter focusses on the individual skills of the Fantastic Five, East Lancashire’ very own Heart Heroes.

Image via Wikipedia

Healthy Lifestyle Day with Rosegrove Nursery School in Burnley

This morning we were helping the children of Rosegrove Nursery school with making and eating some yummy smoothies made out of low fat milk, low fat yoghurt and fresh berries including strawberries, raspberries and blueberries among other fruits.

The children were having a “Healthy Heart Week” with Pumping Marvellous and the Burnley Healthy Lifestyle Team helping the children with the teaching staff to make them aware of healthy foods and the importance of regular exercise. The children were all set a test, in aid of sponsoring Pumping Marvellous and the BHF led “Heart of Blackburn Appeal” for a new scanner, on Monday to learn 10 different types of fruit and vegeatables and then on Friday they would tell the teachers what they had learn’t. Teachers and parents were asked to sponsor the children based on how many fruit they would remember on Friday. Let’s wish them all good luck because they certainly were getting stuck into the smoothies this morning.

I suppose in the light of the new figures published by Heart UK on the BBC website it makes you realise that especially in the Lancashire area there is a need for education and a different approach as to how that is delivered.

Here is the link to the BBC website