Weekend Challenge

Sprint 50 meters
10 push ups
10 rounds

More Friends, Fewer Colds?

By Denny Watkins from Men's Health

Frigid winter weather may keep you huddled indoors all weekend, but here’s a reason to venture out and be social: Loneliness wrecks your immune system, according to a study from The Ohio State University.

Researchers performed two studies to assess how feeling lonely—as opposed to actuallyhaving very few friends—squashed your health. In one, the loneliest people had the highest amounts of antibodies for two cold-like viruses that live on harmlessly in your body after you get well—a sign of a weakened immune system.

In the second study, the researchers found that when 134 people were faced with sudden stress (by having only 10 minutes to prepare to give a 5-minute speech), the loneliest ones experienced a much bigger spike in markers of inflammation as a result of the stress than people who felt less alone.

Scientists are still trying to pin down exactly how the psychological state of feeling unloved can affect your physical well-being. But it’s likely because the isolation piles on yet another misery in your already stressful life. “Many of the links between stress and physiological changes, such as immune function, should also apply to loneliness,” says study author Lisa Jaremka, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Ohio State.

To make matters worse, inflammation and a compromised immune system aren’t the only health problems caused by flying through life solo. Here are five more reasons why you should buddy up:

Get the 5!  

Orecchiette with Kale, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

• 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
• 5 cups bagged prewashed kale
• 2 slices center-cut bacon 
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Weekend Challenge

20 jumping jacks
20 burpies
20 air squats
3 rounds

Vitamin D May Help Maintain Stronger Muscles

From the  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

INDIANAPOLIS – Vitamin D supplementation should be examined as a strategy to maintain muscle strength in adults, according to research published in the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. This study, in the January edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise_®, shows that research participants with higher levels of vitamin D also had more muscle strength even after adjusting for multiple other factors.

“The results of this study indicate that vitamin D may be a viable treatment for muscle strength loss in adults. This is a key area of aging research since people lose strength as they age, but maintaining muscle strength helps prevent falls and fractures, and preserves the ability to live independently,” said the primary investigator, Paul D. Thompson, M.D., FACSM, chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.  Read the rest!

Apple Maple Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

from kokopaleo.com

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened and room temperature
• 2 crisp, sweet apples
• maple syrup
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Get the how to and make this delicious main course from kokopaleo.com!

Weekend Challenge

Run 1 mile with 100 squats at midpoint