Mel B's Totally Fit DVD

Mel Brown, also known as Mel B and Scary Spice has a new exercise DVD. Along with her new DVD, she is sporting a new toned body and looks amazing. I have the picture below of her as motivation for myself. My husband saw the pic of Mel B and said to me, when did you take that picture? He was actually serious and thought is was me! I guess that is even more motivation, a huge complement know that the goal is realistic. Often people make goals that are not realistic and as a result fail.

About Mel B's exercise DVD, I did read reviews and they were extremely favorable. A number of people stated that they lost weight as a result of the doing the DVD. However, most of the reviews stated that the DVD is not for beginners since Mel B doesn't instruct or explain how to do the exercises. The DVD is broken down into 8 segments that you can play in any order you like: Warm Up (5 min) Cardio (15 min) Advanced Cardio (20 min) Abs (10 min) Legs (10 min) Bums (10 min) Tums (10 min) Cool Down I personally would not purchase the DVD since I really don't use exercise DVD's anymore. I did use exercise videos in the past and have nothing against them. You name the DVD, I did it: the entire Body of Steel series, Jane Fonda, Billy Blanks Taebo etc, etc. In my opinion, if this exercise DVD going to get you to exercise, and you already have some level of fitness, I say why not purchase Mel B's exercise DVD!

Figure Athlete - The Anabolic Diet: It's a Lifestyle

Figure Athlete - The Anabolic Diet: It's a Lifestyle

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I thought I should post the above link for this Anabolic Diet because I found it interesting!
I normally hate diets and in my opinion people should never diet but instead choose a healthy lifestyle. The reality is most people once they stop dieting they go back to their bad eating habits and gain the weight back! I found this diet interesting because it did not deprive people of the foods they would normally eat and allowed them to eat stuff like pancakes and fruit on the weekends. It was more about a lifestyle change!

Anti-Gym Workout

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I did not feel like going to the gym and instead I did the anti-gym workout. I went to the track and ran sprints, box jumps, step-ups, hill climbs, and split squat jumps. I felt great and didn't want to leave. Going to the track is a great way to get a workout in without going to the gym. I also know that I got plenty of vitamin D!

Motivation comes from within, nobody can give you motivation!

Can I buy a pound of motivation please? Sorry, but it's not that easy. Motivation comes from within you and you have to find what it is that motives you to help you accomplish your goals. Whether it's a goal to lose weight, to start and exercise program, or to change your eating habits. I think it comes down to the belief in yourself that you can! That you can do it.

Basketball is one of my favourite sports to watch and I always notice that when a player (Kobe. Lebron, or any player for that matter) is having a good game, when they are making shot after shot, that it's like they believe that the ball is going in the basket and they don't even have to wait to see it go in. I always say, "they are willing the ball in the basket".

I guess it's difficult to get motivated if you don't believe in yourself, maybe the first lesson in motivation is belief!

Vitamins Myths Busted?

Recently there has been a lot of talk in the media about vitamins. I read an article in the June 2009 Oxygen magazine called Vitamin Myths Busted and last week on The View there was a doctor giving his opinion about vitamins.
According to this article and this doctor (on The View) people should not use vitamin supplements for the following reasons:
1. People can get all the vitamins and minerals from the foods they eat and most people have adequate access to the types of fruits and vegetables needed to stay healthy.

In my opinion the above reason is ridiculous, adequate access does not equate to adequate use! Unfortunately the average American diet does not include enough fruits, vegetables, or fiber and as a result do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Seriously how many people get the daily requirement of 35 grams of fiber or vitamin D?

2. Supplemental vitamins do not protect against cancer and heart disease.

I found number 2 to be interesting and contradicts many other studies as well as the Journal of American Medical Association who claimed the following: “suboptimal levels of vitamins B6 and B12, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E, and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases.”

3. Vitamins are dangerous, poisonous and are not strictly regulated by the FDA.

Considering the FDA often approves drugs that later get pulled off the shelf because of ill side effects such as the recent Zicam Nasal spray ban, I really don’t care if vitamins are restricted by the FDA. Furthermore, many things if taken in excess can be poisonous and dangerous. Alcohol for example can be poisonous, if you take too much Tylenol it can be dangerous and Tylenol is approved by the FDA. Most vitamins have a required daily allowance (RDA) on the bottle, the RDA helps prevent over consumption! Two nutrients that can be toxic if too much is taken include vitamin A and iron but a water soluble vitamin such as C is not generally toxic.
Although I believe in supplementing with vitamins, I don’t think they should be a substitute for fresh fruit and vegetables, but they can be used as insurance against eating a diet poor in nutritional quality!

Are Chain Restaurants Making Americans Fatter?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) awarded their 2009 Xtreme eating awards to The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, and Applebees for offering appetizers, entrées, and desserts that give you a whole day's worth of calories in one dish. The average person needs about 2,000 calories a day and should limit their intake of saturated fat to 20 grams, and of sodium to 1,500 mg, keep this in mind when you read the list below of the nutrition (or lack thereof) in some of the meals at chain restaurants:

· Cheesecake Factory's Fried Macaroni and Cheese which contains 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. Why on earth would you fry macaroni and cheese? “You would be better off eating an entire stick of butter”
· Olive Garden's Tour of Italy invites you to pile Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo onto a very large dinner plate.
· Uno Chicago Grill, The Melting Pot and Olive Garden's Red Lobster Ultimate Fondue, described as "shrimp and crabmeat in a creamy lobster cheese sauce served in a warm crispy sourdough bowl," contains 1,490 calories, 40 grams of saturated fat, and 3,580 mg of sodium.
· Applebee's Quesadilla Burger is essentially a bacon cheeseburger inside a quesadilla and contains two flour tortillas, two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, Mexi-ranch sauce, and fries. This dish has 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat, and 4,410 mg of sodium. Plus there is an option to top up the fries with more sauce and cheese.
· Chili's Big Mouth Bites is four mini-bacon-cheeseburgers with fries, onion strings, and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce. Apparently each of these mini burgers is about a quarter pounder. This dish comes as an appetizer or an entrée. The entrée version contains 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, and 3,940 milligrams of sodium.
· The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits has 2,500 calories. In my opinion this is the worst meal I have ever seen (notice I say seen and not eaten). I have a story about this meal... when I first moved to the US, I went to dinner with one of my co-workers. We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, and there was a long wait so while he waited I browsed around the mall (the restaurant was in a mall). The wait wasn’t as long as expected so when I got back, he was already sitting, and had ordered a meal for me. He ordered Chicken and Biscuits! When the meal arrived, I took one look at it and said “I can’t eat that”. I lost my appetite just by looking at it. The chicken was white and looked uncooked, there was gravy all over it with some biscuits plopped on top. Okay, I don’t like biscuits, I don’t like thick gravy and I don’t like chicken that looks uncooked. I knew that I would get sick if I ate that meal and thought to myself, “NO WAY am I eating that!”

I really don’t believe that the restaurants are making people fat, people have to take responsibility for their own actions. But I do agree with what organizations like CSPI are trying to do. They are trying to get restaurants to show calories and other nutrition basics on the menus. Their argument is “consumers can’t make an informed choice without the nutrition and calorie figures." Hopefully people can start making informed choices and stop blaming restaurants on making them fat!

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients. Julie Child

I am rarely bored with the food that I eat but this week I am bored and I am looking for more clean foods to eat. A few weeks ago, my husband Craig, asked me if I ever got tired of eating chicken. Of course I said no since I cook chicken a variety of different ways. Below are lists of my top 5 carbs, vegetable, fruits and proteins.

My 5 top natural starchy carbs and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned not that instant crap)
2. Yams & Sweet potatoes
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. 100% whole wheat bread or Ezekiel bread
5. 100% whole wheat pasta

My top 5 vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Tomatoes (I love sun-dried tomatoes) Zucchini
5. Zucchini

My top 5 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey protein (I am going to try Hemp protein powder soon)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Fish - salmon (wild Alaskan), flounder, halibut
5. Ground turkey Breast

My top 5 fruits

1. Blueberries
2. Blackberries
3. Grapes
4. Raspberries
5. Strawberries
   (My favorite fruit is mangoes but it’s difficult to find good mangoes).

Also included in my meals are sources of good fats include almonds, olive oil, walnuts, and coconut oil.
I like trying new recipes and I am always looking for new recipes. I found the recipe below and it’s a recipe that the Obama’s chef Spike Mendelsohn makes at the White House. I am going to try this recipe and I will rate it once I do.

White House Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground Turkey
• 1 Cup diced celery
• 1 Cup diced apples
• 1 Cup diced red onions
• 1 Tblsp mango salsa
• Handful of chopped Parsley
• Juice of 2 lemons, and fine zest from the lemons
• 1 Tblsp Olive Oil
• A dash of Cayenne Salt & pepper to taste
• Slices of Munster cheese (optional)

I will modify the recipe by including some of my mom’s homemade hot sauce since I include it in almost everything I make).

Method: 1. Heat olive oil over medium heat, and toss in the red onions, turning them so they don't burn; "sweat" this for about 45 seconds, turning with wooden spoon so it doesn't burn

2. Add apples and celery and mango salsa, sprinkle in cayenne then salt & pepper, and season to taste. Keep stirring while everything binds; scrape the pan, and toss in chopped parsley at the last minute, then set aside to cool.

3. When ingredients are cool, combine with turkey meat. Squeeze in the lemon juice while combining, and add the lemon zest. Mash it all together well, so fruit and onions are well distributed throughout the meat. Re-seasoning a little at this point, to taste (add some of mom's hotsauce). Make eight balls with the mixture, (balls can be flattened with a spatula to look like burgers) and refrigerate until ready to cook. Once the burgers are almost done, add the munster cheese to melt.

4. Serve on toasted Multi-grain buns, with lettuce and tomato slices.

Bon Appétit!

National Walk Day...After eating donuts on National Donut Day

So I designate that today is National Walk Day after eating donuts on Natioanl Donut Day. For those who did not eat donuts you can still participate. Her are some benefits of walking:
1. Managing your weight. Combined with healthy eating, physical activity is key to any plan for long-lasting weight control. Keeping your weight within healthy limits can lower your risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis.
2. Controlling your blood pressure. Physical activity strengthens the heart so it can pump more blood with less effort and with less pressure on the arteries. Staying fit is just as effective as some medications in keeping down blood pressure levels.
3. Decreasing your risk of heart attack. Exercise such as brisk walking for three hours a week — or just half an hour a day — is associated with a 30% to 40% lower risk of heart disease in women. (Based on the 20-year Nurses' Health Study of 72,000 female nurses.)
4. Boosting "good" cholesterol – the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Physical activity helps reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) in the blood, which can cause plaque buildup along the artery walls — a major cause of heart attacks.
5. Lowering your risk of stroke. Regular, moderate exercise equivalent to brisk walking for an hour a day, five days a week, can cut the risk of stroke in half, according to a Harvard study of more than 11,000 men.
6. Reducing your risk of breast cancer and type 2 diabetes. The Nurses' Health Study also links regular activity to risk reductions for both these diseases. In another study, people at high risk of diabetes cut their risk in half by combining consistent exercise like walking with lower fat intake and a 5% to 7% weight loss.
7. Avoiding your need for gallstone surgery. Regular walking or other physical activity lowers the risk of needing gallstone surgery by 20% to 31%, found a Harvard study of more than 60,000 women ages 40 to 65.
8. Protecting against hip fracture. Consistent activity diminishes the risk of hip fracture, concludes a study of more than 30,000 men and women ages 20 to 93.

The list goes on and on. Many other studies indicate a daily brisk walk also can help:
Prevent depression, colon cancer, constipation, osteoporosis, and impotence
Lengthen lifespan
Lower stress levels
Relieve arthritis and back pain
Strengthen muscles, bones, and joints
Improve sleep
Elevate overall mood and sense of well-being.
Keep it Steady
A steady routine is the most important factor in getting the most out of your exercise program. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week is recommended. (Source AARP).

Today is National Donut Day

Can you believe it? There is a National Donut Day! Every first Friday in June is National Donut Day where you can get free donuts from Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. I am not a big fan of donuts, so I am not promoting this day. But here is some motivation to stay away from the donuts!

I Krispy Kreme glazed donut has 350 calories, 20 grams of fat, 39 carbs and 4 grams of protein. Basically that's almost a meal!

Happy Friday and stay away from the donuts!

Plastic Bottles & Ocean Pollution

I drink a lot of water but I stopped drinking bottled water for several reasons. I stopped purchasing bottled water for several reasons:
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Plastic Bottles & Ocean Pollution

View more Microsoft Word documents from Jeff Bennett.

I've always had a water filter for drinking water in my home but now instead of purchasing bottled water to carry in my car, I now carry a stainless steel water bottle. Other reasons for not drinking bottled water include the high cost, and that it may not be safe. The plastic can leach into your water and plastic #7 is known to be unsafe. More information about plastic #7 can be found at this website Earth911.com.