Exercise reduces risk of Breast Cancer, Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it."
 Robert Heinlein

Today’s Re-Powering Information- Speaking of a carcinogen, one in 4 women have a chance of getting breast cancer. Our odds as a group of women are lower because we are exercisers, however we are still not immune to it. We have a few ladies in camp who are survivors and each of us has a story of someone we know or someone in our family. A few of the boot camp ladies are getting ready to walk in the Susan Koman 60 mile walk in Dallas this coming weekend (others have done it in the past). If you are interested in donating any money to sponsor them, I will make sure they get it. Walking 60 miles in 3 days is not easy task, but it’s possible and anything worth doing is not going to be easy.

Below is an article on how Vigorous exercise (like we do in camp) protects against breast cancer. Exercise has so many benefits beyond the cosmetic outcomes – which are always nice, but in what goes on internally as well as mentally. This is the greatest gift you can give yourself

Plus read all of the way down for a delicious home made peanut butter chocolate protein bar and a funny cartoon one of the Denton Campers sent.


Vigorous exercise protects against breast cancer
Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:25pm EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Plenty of vigorous exercise can cut a healthy, older woman's breast cancer risk by 30 percent, researchers said on Friday.
A study of more than 30,000 post-menopausal women showed that strenuous activity -- ranging from housework such as scrubbing floors to running -- protected against breast cancer even among those who do not have a higher risk, the researchers said.
The effect was clearest among lean women.
"We know that being overweight puts women at increased risk of breast cancer," said Michael Leitzmann, who led the study while at the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
"What our study shows is that even among women without this increased risk, if they exercise they can get some benefit."
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. The group estimates about 465,000 women died of breast cancer globally in 2007, and 1.3 million new cases were diagnosed.
A number of studies have shown that regular strenuous exercise can help people avoid heart disease, cancer and a range of other conditions.
Leitzmann and colleagues used questionnaires to determine how often the women exercised vigorously. All were healthy when the study began.
After 11 years the researchers found that overall the volunteers who exercised most were 13 percent less likely to have developed breast cancer.
The reduced risk was even higher -- 30 percent -- when the researchers compared only women of normal weight, Leitzmann, now working at Germany's University Hospital in Regensburg, said in a telephone interview.
"The relationship was much stronger among leaner women," he added.
Interestingly, non-vigorous activity such as light housework, walking, hiking and easy jogging, did not seem to offer any protection against breast cancer, the team reported in BioMed Central's Breast Cancer Research journal.
The researchers did not look at why exercise may help but Leitzmann noted other studies have shown that working out reduces estrogen levels -- a known risk factor for the disease -- and protects the body's general immune system.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn; Editing by Maggie Fox)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
What a delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth. These homemade protein bars are quick to make, about 20 minutes from start to end, and they make a healthy on-the-go snack. You may want to make a double batch and store extras in the freezer.
Servings: 8 bars

Here's what you need...
• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter
• 3 egg whites
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 tablespoons nonfat milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.
2. Mix the oats, protein powder and cinnamon. Add peanut butter and stir until well combined. Add egg whites, bananas, honey and milk.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into 8 bars.
Nutritional Analysis: One bar equals: 185 calories, 4g fat, 27g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 11g protein.

Have a healthy day!