Be Sneaky With Your Exercise!!

Are you having trouble finding ways to get your exercise in every day? No more excuses! Check out this article that has some great suggestions on how to sneak it in!
http://health.msn.com/fitness/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100257371>1=31036
Once you have read through the article, leave a comment about how you sneak your exercise in!

National Women's Health Week 2010

This week is has been designated as National Women's Health Week!! The US Department of Health and Human Services would like you to take this time to make health your top priority. Some simple steps they recommend are:
* Getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week.
* Eating a nutritious diet.
* Visiting a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings.
* Avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.
* Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

We all know that we tend to put our loved ones first and all too often wait until we have a true health problem to take care of ourselves. Why not take this year and make a commitment to being proactive about your health throughout the year? Take the first steps to creating a true lifestyle change and reach your health and wellness goals. Your family will benefit from having a healthier mother and role model, as well as learn some healthy habits themselves!!
One of the first and easiest steps is to contact Total Nutrition Technology for a complimentary health and nutrition assessment!! Go to www.tntgetfit.com and fill out a request for a free consultation today!
For more information on National Women's Health Week, you can go to http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/

What are you doing for Women's Health Week? Leave a comment to let us know!!

Fresh, delicious, and CLEAN!

So we all know about using baking soda to remove stains from clothes, whiten our teeth, and freshen the fridge. But have you ever thought about using it to clean your produce?!
With all of the wonderful, fresh produce that is available now, it makes healthier choices even easier!!
Use 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in a sink full of water, gently scrub your produce, rinse well, and enjoy!!!
Have a healthy tip? Share it!!

Let's Make a Date!

Would you like to make a date with me for tomorrow night? I promise it will be a night that will change your life!! Make a date with me to watch the premier of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC at 8pm.
This past week was a sneak preview of his show and I was glued. I don't want to give away too much, but I will give you a summary of the idea behind the show.
Jamie Oliver plants himself in America's Unhealthiest Town, Huntington, West Virginia. His mission is to create a 'Food Revolution' starting with the schools! Just in that first glimpse on Sunday night I was immediately fascinated by how resistant people are to making their lives and the lives of their families healthier. Not only the resistance, but the lack of awareness about WHAT they are eating and feeding their children. Jamie is there to help the residents of this small town learn to cook, eat, and love a healthy lifestyle.
As rare as it is for me to say this... sit down with your family and watch T.V. Watch Jamie on his journey. Already have plans? Record it. TiVo it. DVR it. Go to ABC.com and watch it later. Everyone in this country needs to see this, because the 'Food Revolution' could be at your door next!!

After watching, you will begin to question what you are eating. Here's a good place to start: www.dietfacts.com. Spend this time with your family, let me know what you think of the show and what changes you will be making!!

Government Weighing In on Your Nutrition?

With skyrocketing health insurance premiums, childhood obesity numbers out of control, and millions being effected by nutrition related diseases every year, is it any wonder that our government is trying to step in to make our country healthier?

This article off of MSN Health tells us of a new effort by New York City to mandate restaurants and manufacturers to lower the sodium content of their food. I am all for improving nutrition, but this leaves me with one burning question: Should we rely on our government to make healthier choices for us or learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle on our own?

Read the article and share your thoughts!
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100254201

Recipe Re-Do!

I am such a huge fan of Rachel Ray for making cooking quick, tasty, and more accessible for people everywhere. I own almost every one of her books, receive her magazine each month, but I just have one small issue. Many of her recipes are more unhealthy than I'd like.
So I have decided to share with you a quick recipe re-do that is one of my favorite Rachel Ray meals! Her Artichoke, Tomato, and Spinach Pizza is quick, easy, and now healthier too!

Original:
5 Tbs EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 Tbs flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
1 lb. refrigerated pizza dough
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
5 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1- 13.75 oz can artichoke hearts (drained and quartered)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes (halved)
2 cups baby spinach (chopped)
(makes 4 servings)

Nutritional Values per serving:
Calories- 936
Fat- 65.2g
Carbohydrate- 63g
Protein- 27.5g

Swap out the following:
-Reduce amount of olive oil to 5 tsp (not Tbs!)
-Pillsbury Whole Wheat pizza dough
-Low fat shredded mozzarella cheese

...and cut your cost for a delicious pizza to:
Calories- 305
Fat- 19g
Carbohydrate- 15g
Protein- 21.2g

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Using oiled hands, stretch dough to fit a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread 3 tsp olive oil mixture on top, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle with mozzarella and 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese.
4. Toss artichokes, tomatoes, and spinach with remaining garlic mixture and arrange over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
5. Bake until crust is golden and crisp, about 18-20 min.

Got a great recipe re-do? Share it with us!!

Finding Time for Fitness

As someone who has been in the fitness industry for a while as a personal trainer, exercise instructor, manager, sales person, and now a nutritional counselor for Total Nutrition Technology, I have noticed that one of the most common reasons for people not reaching their fitness and weight loss goals is that they don’t have time to exercise.

            I can certainly relate to being on a tight schedule being a working mother of a 1 year old ball of fire!! It seems like moms have become the glue that really hold a family and their schedules together. We cook, clean, do laundry, coordinate schedules, work, and raise children. This often times doesn’t leave us with much time to take care of ourselves and with what time we have left it is very tempting to just take a nap!

            Just for a moment, try to look at your health from a different perspective. If we, as mothers, are not doing all we can to keep ourselves healthy, long and short term, we really aren’t doing what is best for our children and families. And after all, isn’t that what we all want? But the ultimate question is always, ‘how can I find time to workout?

            Certainly exercise is very important to any health or wellness program. But many of us view this as an all or nothing venture when there are many small ways to get active!

            So I have dedicated this first blog entry to helping you find ways to sneak in physical activity during your packed schedule!  Most of us know that burning calories is necessary to lose weight. But everything you do has some caloric cost to it, whether it’s carrying your baby up and down the stairs or doing your 50^th load of laundry for the week!

            Pick out a few ideas from the list below and start feeling the burn (no matter how small) today!

·      Pack up and head to the park! Walking around and feeding your little one’s curiosity, pushing him in the swing, or chasing her around in the grass will get you both moving!

·      If the weather is bad, head to the mall and walk briskly (while window shopping, of course).

·      Get yourself a few workout DVD’s and do them during naptime.

·      When running errands, park a little further away and walk.

·      During commercial breaks in your (or your toddler’s) favorite shows, get up and do squats, crunches, or even just march in place. That small amount of movement will add up!

·      No workout equipment needed- stairs make for good cardio; kids, cans, or bags of groceries make great weights.

If you are a mom who has some great tips about sneaking in exercise, we’d love to hear from you too!

For more great healthy tips, recipes, and articles check out www.tntgetfit.com!