In lurking around the NYTimes Website I came across this yummy salad and thought I'd share it with you -- maybe in time for an addition to Thanksgiving??
For the salad:
1 quart water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
3 celery stalks, preferably from the heart, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (2 good-size leaves) (optional)
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Enjoy!
November 18, 2008
November 17, 2008
Muscle Building Monday
Try it three times this week:
Side Squats
To perform this exercise, stand with your feet together, slight bend in the knees, arms relaxed at your sides. Keep your left foot stationary as you take a side-step with your right foot, so your feet are a little more than shoulder-width apart. Squat down, remembering to not go lower than a 90 degree angle in your knees while keeping your knees over your ankles (in other words, stick your rump out).
Push through your heels to return to your beginning position (feet together). Repeat for your left side, keeping your right foot stationary, and return to beginning position. You just did 2 reps of side squats. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps, resting 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets. If you really want a challenge, hold medium-heavy dumbbells in your hands while performing side squats.
Side Squats
To perform this exercise, stand with your feet together, slight bend in the knees, arms relaxed at your sides. Keep your left foot stationary as you take a side-step with your right foot, so your feet are a little more than shoulder-width apart. Squat down, remembering to not go lower than a 90 degree angle in your knees while keeping your knees over your ankles (in other words, stick your rump out).
Push through your heels to return to your beginning position (feet together). Repeat for your left side, keeping your right foot stationary, and return to beginning position. You just did 2 reps of side squats. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps, resting 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets. If you really want a challenge, hold medium-heavy dumbbells in your hands while performing side squats.
November 15, 2008
Latest research from Dove
Dove recently completed a study entitled Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem. A total of 4,373 girls, ages 8 to 17, were surveyed online and throughout the United States. Some highlights of the findings include:-Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
-62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves
-57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks
-More than half (57%) of all girls say they don’t always tell their parents certain things about them because they don’t want them to think badly of them
-75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking, when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 25% of girls with high self-esteem)
(For more, see the report at http://www.rocketxl.com/dsef/assets/DSEF_Report.pdf)
For those of us who care about this topic, it's not any news that our society's view of "beautiful" has been severely distorted. “The existing narrow definition of beauty is not only unrealistic and unattainable, but clearly it also creates hang-ups that can lead girls to question their own beauty,” said Philippe Harousseau, U.S. marketing director for Dove. “It’s time to free the next generation from these stereotypes and give girls the tools they need to discover their own definition of beauty.”
Dove is offering free tools to download for moms, girls, and mentors, including "True You and Mirror, Mirror" booklets, Interactive exercises, & Workshop Facilitator Guide DVD (find those tools HERE.)
I could honestly go on and on about the importance of instilling a sense of worth, value, and beauty in not only young girls but in everyone, but this post is already long enough (plus you can also check out my other posts on Dove's campaign here and here). The bottom line is we can't teach this to others unless we can accept ourselves for who we really are. If you need help or want to help, check out Dove's workshops or see what else you can do to help.
I've also pasted this video below; show it to others so they know how a photoshoot actually works!
November 11, 2008
Effects of exercising at a young age
I read this online from the NY Times today and wanted to share. It's a Q&A session with Dr. Barry E. Levin, a neurologist at New Jersey Medical School.
"Q. Does exercise really make a difference?
A. A large group of people in the National Weight Control Registry report doing very heavy amounts of exercise as part of their weight management strategy. And we know that exercise helps overcome the body's natural tendency to lower its resting energy expenditure in response to weight loss. But for most people, exercise in and of itself isn't the answer.
What we are finding is that exercise done very early — immediately after weaning in animals, and probably anywhere from age 2 to 8 in humans — may help prevent someone with an obesity-prone template from becoming fat. We did an experiment in which a running wheel was put in a cage of animals who enjoy using it. They ran on it like crazy, and we found that even animals with a propensity to obesity did not gain weight, even after the wheel was taken away. The effect was incredibly dramatic.
We had never been able to change the set point of the obesity-prone before, and we suspected that exercise done during this early developmental period somehow made their brains more sensitive to leptin signals. We don't know if the effect is permanent, but it certainly is long-lasting. And it's encouraging because it shows that there may be a way to change the obesity genotype with an early intervention."
I'm going out on a limb here, but I bet most of you reading this are not between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. However, you may have children in your life that are between these ages; encourage them to exercise for their future health. Help others live well!
"Q. Does exercise really make a difference?
A. A large group of people in the National Weight Control Registry report doing very heavy amounts of exercise as part of their weight management strategy. And we know that exercise helps overcome the body's natural tendency to lower its resting energy expenditure in response to weight loss. But for most people, exercise in and of itself isn't the answer.
What we are finding is that exercise done very early — immediately after weaning in animals, and probably anywhere from age 2 to 8 in humans — may help prevent someone with an obesity-prone template from becoming fat. We did an experiment in which a running wheel was put in a cage of animals who enjoy using it. They ran on it like crazy, and we found that even animals with a propensity to obesity did not gain weight, even after the wheel was taken away. The effect was incredibly dramatic.
We had never been able to change the set point of the obesity-prone before, and we suspected that exercise done during this early developmental period somehow made their brains more sensitive to leptin signals. We don't know if the effect is permanent, but it certainly is long-lasting. And it's encouraging because it shows that there may be a way to change the obesity genotype with an early intervention."
I'm going out on a limb here, but I bet most of you reading this are not between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. However, you may have children in your life that are between these ages; encourage them to exercise for their future health. Help others live well!
November 3, 2008
Holiday Eating
Keeping the balance of all that holidays offer with healthy living can be difficult. But with some careful advanced planning you can enjoy any holiday while sticking to your healthy living routine.
1). Plan your workouts that week to include the day before the holiday and either the day after the holiday or two days after the holiday. Don't stress about working out on the holiday. There's a very good chance that won't happen anyway. Enjoy your day off!
2). Hosting your own holiday party will ensure that you have plenty of healthy food & beverage choices.
3). If you're not hosting but instead attending a holiday party, offer to bring a dish and make it one of your healthy choices.
4). Assuming the host doesn't need any help or you don't want to offer it, eat a meal before attending so you're not hungry enough to eat everything served.
5). Attending a dinner party where #4 won't work? Watch your portion sizes during dinner and drink water during the meal. Eat very little or completely omit spreads and dips like butter, sour cream, gravies, white sauces (like Alfredo), etc. Load up on the veggies and trim the fat off meat.
6). When confronted with a buffet of desserts, pick your top two and decide if they're worth the calories. If they are, eat half of each one and discard the rest. If not, chose one, eat it slowly, and enjoy every bite. Then discard your dessert plate. Don't go back for more! If one dessert is served, again watch your portion size, and savor the yummy goodness. Drinking water after eating something sweet will help get the flavor out of your mouth and deter you from eating more.
In most cases of life planning ahead really does help you avoid pitfalls. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Don't dread the holiday celebrations this year and plan ahead to continue to live well!
1). Plan your workouts that week to include the day before the holiday and either the day after the holiday or two days after the holiday. Don't stress about working out on the holiday. There's a very good chance that won't happen anyway. Enjoy your day off!
2). Hosting your own holiday party will ensure that you have plenty of healthy food & beverage choices.
3). If you're not hosting but instead attending a holiday party, offer to bring a dish and make it one of your healthy choices.
4). Assuming the host doesn't need any help or you don't want to offer it, eat a meal before attending so you're not hungry enough to eat everything served.
5). Attending a dinner party where #4 won't work? Watch your portion sizes during dinner and drink water during the meal. Eat very little or completely omit spreads and dips like butter, sour cream, gravies, white sauces (like Alfredo), etc. Load up on the veggies and trim the fat off meat.
6). When confronted with a buffet of desserts, pick your top two and decide if they're worth the calories. If they are, eat half of each one and discard the rest. If not, chose one, eat it slowly, and enjoy every bite. Then discard your dessert plate. Don't go back for more! If one dessert is served, again watch your portion size, and savor the yummy goodness. Drinking water after eating something sweet will help get the flavor out of your mouth and deter you from eating more.
In most cases of life planning ahead really does help you avoid pitfalls. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Don't dread the holiday celebrations this year and plan ahead to continue to live well!
September 28, 2008
End of the Push-up Challenge
Okay everyone -- the end is here or near, depending if you started the week of August 18 or had to take a week off due to illness (a few of you contacted me about that). If you've completed your 6 weeks, take a day to do as many push-ups in a row without stopping, and send me the count. You have until October 6 to turn in this number! We'll see who can do the most push-ups and who had the highest percentage of improvement. Also, let me know if you did your push-ups on your toes (boy-style) or knees (girl-style).
September 22, 2008
Muscle-building Monday
This week we're going to rock it Tamilee Webb style by creating our own buns of steel. I have no idea what the "real name" of this exercise is, but I know it tightens your glutes and is a sure winner for some burn!
One Legged Pelvic Lifts
Lie on your back, knees bent, arms at your sides, feet flat on the floor. While keeping your right knee bent, lift your right foot into the air. Now you're ready! Push through your left heel to lift your glutes (and the small of your back) off the floor. Keep your upper body very still. Complete your set and switch legs.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps for each leg, alternating legs. If this is too difficult, do the same number of sets and reps but with both heels on the ground, remembering to push through your heels to lift your glutes, not your toes.
One Legged Pelvic Lifts
Lie on your back, knees bent, arms at your sides, feet flat on the floor. While keeping your right knee bent, lift your right foot into the air. Now you're ready! Push through your left heel to lift your glutes (and the small of your back) off the floor. Keep your upper body very still. Complete your set and switch legs.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps for each leg, alternating legs. If this is too difficult, do the same number of sets and reps but with both heels on the ground, remembering to push through your heels to lift your glutes, not your toes.
September 21, 2008
A slacker in blogging.
My apologies to all out there for the lack of posts this past week. Superman was in Hong Kong for 2 weeks on business, and it took everything inside me to stay sane -- including staying away from the computer (go figure)! But I'm back and ready to go. This is my last week (week 6) of the push-up challenge, and I'm excited to see what my final number will be! It'll also be time to test myself for my real goal...(perhaps I won't be too shy next week to post it; I'm quite certain I'll be able to do it now!)
September 15, 2008
Muscle-building Monday
Okay, I'll admit it -- I've been obsessed with push-ups lately. Ever since I started the push-up challenge over at hundredpushups.com, it's all I think about! I've got 2 weeks left to complete my 6 week journey, and I've already tripled my initial testing amount of push-ups. In light of that, here's your Muscle-building Monday idea!
Try this exercise 3 times a week, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, alternating sides.
One Foot Push-ups:
For this variation of the push-up you'll need to be in a formal push-up position; legs straight with toes on the floor (not on bent knees), stomach and chest on the floor, hands under your shoulders. As you push yourself up, keep your right foot in line with your glutes (rump) and shoulders. At the top of the move, your arms will be straight, your left foot (toes) will be on the floor, and your right leg, glutes, and shoulders will all be in a straight line parallel to the floor. Lower down to complete the rep (don't let your right foot touch the floor at all). Finish this set, then switch to complete a set with your right foot on the floor.
Keeping your leg in the air will help you concentrate on your form and help you move slower to really strengthen your chest muscles. For an added burn, squeeze your glutes together during your push-ups. OOOOOOOWEEEEEE!!!! Love that burn! Build your muscle and live well!
Have a great week guys!
Try this exercise 3 times a week, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, alternating sides.
One Foot Push-ups:
For this variation of the push-up you'll need to be in a formal push-up position; legs straight with toes on the floor (not on bent knees), stomach and chest on the floor, hands under your shoulders. As you push yourself up, keep your right foot in line with your glutes (rump) and shoulders. At the top of the move, your arms will be straight, your left foot (toes) will be on the floor, and your right leg, glutes, and shoulders will all be in a straight line parallel to the floor. Lower down to complete the rep (don't let your right foot touch the floor at all). Finish this set, then switch to complete a set with your right foot on the floor.
Keeping your leg in the air will help you concentrate on your form and help you move slower to really strengthen your chest muscles. For an added burn, squeeze your glutes together during your push-ups. OOOOOOOWEEEEEE!!!! Love that burn! Build your muscle and live well!
Have a great week guys!
September 11, 2008
Ramblings about how to unwind
After having spent the last week (and still have one more week to go) without Superman, playing single parent is seriously not something I ever want to do permanently. (He's away on business.) My hat goes off to all of you single parents out there -- you deserve on amazing vacation!
I've long believed a good dose of "me time" is required for a healthy mind (a.k.a. sanity). Some may find it hard to relax after their day at work, home, etc, turning to the television or a bag of goodies to help ease their mind of current frustrations.
For all things there is a time and a place, right? I won't go into details of when I've absolutely had to sit in front of the television with my Oreos/Chips Ahoy/ice cream (okay you get the point) to wind down and feel better. But more than one night of splurging literally will make me ill, and the feelings of relaxation are replaced with more anxiety of wasting time and calories. Do you ever get this way? Or can you "veg" regularly doing the TV and treat thing (maybe something's wrong with me??)?
After many trials and errors I've discovered how I can relax at the end of the day. As much as I'd love to brag about my deep breathing techniques or explosive kickboxing routine, I can't. What works for my "me time" is simple really; do something I've wanted to do all day but just wasn't able to do. HA!
The level of stress I have once the kids are in bed dictates my activity for the evening. If I didn't get any quiet time (laughing hard because that's just about every day) then yes, I'll do some deep breathing and enjoy the now quiet atmosphere. If I didn't get to exercise, then yes. I'll exercise. If I really want to catch the latest episode of my favorite show with 4 cookies, then yes. I'll do it. But I won't do the same thing every night.
For me it's all about variety to keep it fun. Every minute of my "me time" has got to be enjoyable so I can de-stress and be ready for the next (early) morning. It's not every night that I need some serious unwinding time, but sometimes I need to know that blessed evening will come so I can make it through the day.
After a long day of _______ (fill in your regular responsibilities), how do you unwind/relax/get some "me" time?
I've long believed a good dose of "me time" is required for a healthy mind (a.k.a. sanity). Some may find it hard to relax after their day at work, home, etc, turning to the television or a bag of goodies to help ease their mind of current frustrations.
For all things there is a time and a place, right? I won't go into details of when I've absolutely had to sit in front of the television with my Oreos/Chips Ahoy/ice cream (okay you get the point) to wind down and feel better. But more than one night of splurging literally will make me ill, and the feelings of relaxation are replaced with more anxiety of wasting time and calories. Do you ever get this way? Or can you "veg" regularly doing the TV and treat thing (maybe something's wrong with me??)?
After many trials and errors I've discovered how I can relax at the end of the day. As much as I'd love to brag about my deep breathing techniques or explosive kickboxing routine, I can't. What works for my "me time" is simple really; do something I've wanted to do all day but just wasn't able to do. HA!
The level of stress I have once the kids are in bed dictates my activity for the evening. If I didn't get any quiet time (laughing hard because that's just about every day) then yes, I'll do some deep breathing and enjoy the now quiet atmosphere. If I didn't get to exercise, then yes. I'll exercise. If I really want to catch the latest episode of my favorite show with 4 cookies, then yes. I'll do it. But I won't do the same thing every night.
For me it's all about variety to keep it fun. Every minute of my "me time" has got to be enjoyable so I can de-stress and be ready for the next (early) morning. It's not every night that I need some serious unwinding time, but sometimes I need to know that blessed evening will come so I can make it through the day.
After a long day of _______ (fill in your regular responsibilities), how do you unwind/relax/get some "me" time?
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