We made the Paper!!

Weight-loss competition organizer hopes to inspire community

By Anthony Rimel, Corvallis Gazette-TimesCorvallis Gazette Times

Next Wednesday marks the end of a competition between a small group of local residents who have been waging one of modern society’s most perennial battles over the past 12 weeks: trying to shed their excess weight. Modeled after the NBC show “The Biggest Loser,” the competition is called the “Corvallis Greatest Loser,” and its 12 participants already have lost 139 pounds collectively.

Sue Long, a Corvallis real estate broker who organized the competition, said she hopes their efforts will inspire other local groups to organize similar competitions.“My goal is to make Corvallis the healthiest community in America,” she said. Long, who was a dietitian before she became a broker, said she modeled parts of the program on a similar competition in Lebanon.

At the start of the competition, participants each contribute $20 to a pool and agree to pay an additional $10 if they miss their weekly weigh-in at Long’s office, or if the weigh-in indicates that they’ve gained weight. At the end of the competition the money collected will be split between the male and female contestants who lost the greatest percentage of body weight.

Participants meet every few weeks for a discussion with experts on various exercise, health and nutrition topics. Long said they also have weekly challenges aimed at healthy living, such as drinking a total of 64 ounces of water each day for a week or getting eight hours of sleep every night.

Long said she participated in the competition herself, so she “felt the pain of what was going on, too.”
Being the leader of the group inspired her to stick with the program — even after she broke her ankle four weeks in — because she felt accountable to the group.

Donna Helm, a wellness coach from Corvallis, was one of the contest’s participants, and she said that she and her husband participated because they thought it would help to motivate them.  “I think accountability is the big thing we needed. That, and support,” she said.  Helm said she has lost 23 pounds over the course of the competition; she has lost 85 pounds since June 2011.  She chose to participate in part because, she said, she had reached a plateau in her weight loss, and she thought this would be a good opportunity to push herself more.

“My husband and I tended to not make the best food decisions,” she said, and now they eat less meat and more vegetables. She added that they are exercising more, and have started to use the gym equipment they had bought in the past, but never used.  “We kept thinking buy the machine, and you’ll get thinner. We forgot you had to use it, too,” she said.

After the competition ends next week, Long plans to start it again April 15. Helm said that she will participate again.  “It has been really beneficial to be part of this challenge,” she said.

Anthony Rimel covers K-12 education. He can be reached at 541-758-9526 or anthony.rimel@lee.net.

Yo-Yo Dieting? -- You Need High Quality Protein

Here is a great article from Isagenix Health.

You know how it is with regular dieting—your long-lost skinny jeans make a temporary reappearance only to be retired to the back of your closet six months later. This frustrating scenario of weight cycling is all too familiar for most people.

Although decreased motivation and will-power greatly contribute to “falling off the wagon”, weight regain is also influenced by biological changes in the body in response to decreased intake of energy or calories. The main biological reason for weight regain is a slowing metabolism. A reduction in calorie intake can make the body become very efficient and work to conserve energy. Unfortunately, this means you are burning fewer calories. Loss of lean tissue (such as muscle) rather than fat mass during weight loss is also to blame for a lower metabolic rate (more on this below).

In a world where yo-yo dieting has become the norm, how does one keep lost pounds off for good?
New research carried out by a group of scientists from the Netherlands reveals that a diet higher than normal in protein may be the key to sustaining permanent weight loss (1). Seventy-two overweight and obese men and women took part in the study, which compared the effects of two reduced-calorie diets after weight was previously lost, the only difference between the diets being that one counted as high protein intake (1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day) and the other as normal protein intake (0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day). After six months, the group eating more protein was found to retain greater muscle mass and a higher rate of metabolism, helping to better keep that lost weight from returning.

Previous studies investigating the effect of energy-restricted, high protein diets on weight maintenance have reached similar conclusions (2). The fat-fighting power of protein lies in its ability to keep energy expenditure elevated as well as curb hunger despite reduced calorie intake.

Rev Up Your Metabolism with Protein

Energy expenditure, or the number of calories burned by the body, is greatly influenced by basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy, or rate of metabolism, required to support basic body functions when your body is at rest.

The greatest contributor to BMR is fat-free mass. Fat-free mass is largely made up of muscle, which is very energy demanding. Even when no work is being performed (such as when you are sleeping), muscle requires energy just to exist. Muscle cells and their components are constantly using calories to rebuild what is broken down during normal protein turnover. A higher protein diet not only increases energy-demanding protein synthesis and turnover, but has also shown to better preserve muscle during caloric restriction (1, 2). Keeping muscle mass and turnover rates high results in a higher BMR, faster metabolism, and greater energy expenditure.

The thermic effect of food (TEF) is another factor that affects energy expenditure and refers to the amount of energy needed to break down, absorb, and digest food. The TEF differs between nutrients, with protein requiring more calories for digestion and metabolism than both fat and carbohydrate combined. Specifically, 0 to 3 percent of the calories obtained from fat are used for fat digestion, 5 to 10 percent of calories from carbohydrate are used for carbohydrate digestion, and 20 to30 percent of calories from protein are used for protein digestion (2). This means that protein requires a substantial amount of calories for the body to metabolize and use it compared to the other macronutrients. Simply by eating more protein in place of carbohydrate or fat, a person will burn more calories.

Feel Fuller, Longer with Protein

Successfully committing to a reduced calorie diet can be difficult when you are bombarded by cravings and hunger pangs. Ravenous hunger will only encourage overeating and weight regain. Research has shown higher protein diets to be superior to low or standard protein diets in causing a feeling of fullness, thereby leading to lower calorie intake (2). A reduced calorie diet will lead to greater use of existing fat stores, as a person quickly burns through the energy provided by the food they consume, as well as the carbohydrate stored in the body (glycogen). This increased reliance on fat for fuel has been suggested to reduce appetite.

Protein may also boost satiety by sending hormonal messages to the brain signaling fullness. When protein is eaten, sensors located in the gut are activated. Hormones such as glucagon are released, sending a message to the brain saying, “I’m full!” (3).

Isagenix: Making the higher protein lifestyle easy

Sustaining weight loss over the long term is challenging but not impossible. A higher protein diet offers numerous metabolic advantages that will not only help a person lose weight, but may also prevent regaining pounds, or worse, surpassing your starting weight.
Isagenix offers a variety of convenient and delicious higher protein meals and snacks that can aid weight maintenance efforts. Incorporating these Isagenix snacks and meal replacements in your reduced calorie diet will not only help you get into those skinny jeans, but stay in them, too.

For more information about Isagenix, contact me at newtraditions99@yahoo.com or go to my website The Healthy Helms.

References:
1) Soenen S, et al. Normal Protein Intake Is Required for Body Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance, and Elevated Protein Intake for Additional Preservation of Resting Energy Expenditure and Fat Free Mass. J Nutr. 2013 Feb 27. [Epub ahead of print]
2) Westerterp-Plantenga MS, et al. Dietary protein – its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 2:S105-12. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512002589.
3) Belza A, et al. Contribution of gastroenteropancreatic appetite hormones to protein-induced satiety. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar 6. [Epub ahead of print]

Benefits of Oregano Tea plus Recipe

I am starting to plant my herbs in my greenhouse. Oregano is one of my favorite herbs for cooking, but I never thought of using it as a tea.  After seeing this poster with all the benefits I think I am going to brew some ... it should be an interesting taste.

This idea is from Edible Harmony.

Concerns Validated About a Weight Loss Product Using Soy

If you have followed my blogs or posts on Facebook, you know I am very concerned about people's health.  This mission I have taken on comes from years of being bedridden by very serious health conditions and obesity.  I have my life back and I feel it is my responsibility to work with people to help them regain their own health.  I do work with a company, and I mention it from time to time, but I am more driven to just give people good information about healthy lifestyle and practices.

One of the companies that I have been concerned about because it uses soy as its base and it is filled with artificial ingredients is the topic of this video put together by a former distributor for the product.  This video somewhat validates my concerns.  Watch with an open mind.

Why Heidi Black Decides to Leave ViSalus

What is EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)? with Gary Craig -- Video

Tom and I have recently started using EFT techniques, and I am astonished at the results that we are getting.  EFT is sort of like accupuncture without the needles.  This video featuring one of the pioneers of EFT, Gary Craig, explains what Emotional Freedom Techniques are and some examples of how it has been used to help in various problems.

Recognize New Signs of Stroke -- Save a Life

 

 

I URGE ALL MY FRIENDS TO READ & SHARE THIS; YOU COULD SAVE A LOVED ONES LIFE BY KNOWING THIS SIMPLE INFORMATION!!!

Stroke has a new indicator! They say if you ...forward this to ten people, you stand a chance of saving one life. Will you send this along? Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue:

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
>>RECOGNIZING A STROKE<<

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. Chicken Soup)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is

'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

I have done my part. Will you?

Saying Bye-Bye to Flabby Arms -- Video

I am tired of my tricepts waving in the wind everytime I lift my arms.  So this week I am adding some new arm routines to my workout.  Here is a video from LiveStrong for arm excercises that don't involve push-ups.  If you would like to join me ... just watch the video and let me know how you are doing.

 

Free Weights for Flabby Arms

Thermogenesis and Visceral Fat Loss by Dr. Michael Colgan

Dr Michael Colgan
22 March 2013

Thermogenesis is the creation of heat in the body. It occurs mainly through an extraordinary mechanism called brown adipose tissue (BAT), which permits the production of heat directly from bodyfat without going through the energy cycle.(1) 

A hibernating bear for example, can lose 300 lbs of fat while it sleeps, as its body converts bodyfat to BAT, then creates the heat required to prevent it freezing over the winter. The bear does not have to move a muscle.

We are not as efficient as bears at burning fat with BAT. Nevertheless, the amount of BAT in the body of a 40-year-old man or woman is still sufficient to use 10% -15% of their total energy, and get all of it from bodyfat.

But you have to get your BAT moving. Turn up the inner heat. Exposure to cold is very effective. Bit extreme but it works. I am busy at my annual task convincing clients to sit and meditate under a freezing waterfall, or lie in the snow in swimmers by the pool (frozen). These are popular methods for fat loss right now, every Canadian springtime. I wear a 30-below suit with hood and balaclava so they don’t notice my hysterics.

Usual weight loss programs don’t activate BAT at all. Quite the opposite. If you go on a sudden food restriction diet, the body automatically turns down its heat production and its energy production as a defence mechanism to conserve its fat. That’s why dieters generally feel cold and tired.

You Can Increase BAT Activity

If you can’t face the freeze, there are several things in natural foods raise BAT activity nicely. Best known is caffeine from coffee. Controlled studies show that a cup of ground arabica coffee on an empty stomach in the morning increases thermogenesis and burns bodyfat for up to four hours afterwards.(2,3)

Green tea also has a separate thermogenic effect, originally thought to be because of its caffeine content. Recent studies, however, show that a group of chemicals called catechins in green tea are mostly responsible. The main catechin in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) induces thermogenesis by itself.(2-3)

In a placebo-controlled study, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, two groups of 19, healthy, middle-aged men used a moderately reduced calorie diet, plus tea for 12 weeks. Green tea extract was added to the tea of 19 subjects to yield high levels of catechins. Tea without the extract, containing only low levels of catechins, was used by the 19 controls. The group consuming tea with high catechins lost an average of 5.4 lbs of bodyfat, approximately TWICE the bodyfat loss of the control group. Much of the loss was visceral fat from belly and thighs. The researchers concluded:

“Body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat area were significantly lower in the green tea extract group than in the control group.”(4)

You don’t have to freeze off the flab. Lose that belly fat nice and easy. Brain Boost contains high levels of EGCG from green tea, and the e+ shot contains both green tea caffeine and catechins. Take both before your workout and green tea with every meal. It’s a great way to fine-tune abs and buns for the summer, with the bonus of a better brain and more giddy-up to boot.

For more information go to http://www.thehealthyhelms.com/

1. Stock MJ. Thermogenesis and brown fat: relevance to human obesity. Infusionstherapie, 1989;16(6):282-284.
2. Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke F. Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Mol Nutr Food Res, 2006;50(2):176-187.
3. Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1):122-129.
4. Nagao T, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. A green tea extract high in catechins reduces body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans. Obesity, 2007;15(6):1473-1483.

Exercising but Not Losing Fat? Maybe This is the Problem by Dr. Michael Colgan

Dr Michael Colgan -- 14 March 2013
from Isagenix Nutritional Sciences

Image from compareweightlossprogram.com

One of my fat loss clients, has been steadily losing about one pound of fat per week on our nutrition and exercise program, 32 lbs overall. Eager to make a Size 4 for the summer, she thought she wasn’t losing enough. So she joined another gym and hired a trainer.

First week he had her jogging on the treadmill, a hard puff-and-pant exercise for an overweight girl who never jogged. He told her she had to keep going for 30 minutes or she would not lose any fat. Then she had to do an aerobics class for 30 minutes. But she was allowed an oatmeal muffin and some nice organic fruit juices to keep her going. She did both bouts of exercise for five days for one week, then came back to me exhausted, pleading that she had gained weight, and that perhaps ours was the best way.

As often occurs, there were several things wrong with the gym exercise she was given. First, the treadmill jogging was anaerobic for her. That is, she was puffing and panting, indicating a shortage of oxygen. Bodyfat is calorie dense. At 9 calories per gram it needs plentiful oxygen to enable the body to burn it. All endurance athletes know this well. Their VO2 max is the maximum aerobic effort they can make and still burn fat. Any greater intensity and they will turn anaerobic, stop burning fat, quickly burn up all their sugar, and hit the dreaded “wall”.

Second thing wrong; the trainer didn’t give her a diet beyond telling her some healthy things to eat, and he encouraged her to take fruit juice during exercise to keep her going. She told me she also had an oatmeal muffin and juice at the gym beforehand, “or I just couldn’t face it”. We estimated that she had at least 400 calories before starting and another 200-400 during the exercise, about 600-800 extra calories per day, a total of 3,000 – 4,000 extra calories for the five workouts. Bottom line. Any calories you put in your stomach before or during exercise to lose fat, will be preferentially used first by the body. So she was setting herself up to grow plump as a goose.

How much fat did she burn? If you could burn fat perfectly, (remember, no calories in the stomach and no panting) aerobic treadmill work or aerobics classes can use up to 200 calories of fat in an hour. So, if everything was perfect, she could burn a total of 1000 calories (about 4 ounces of fat) over the 5 workouts. Because of the mistakes in her program, likely she burned half that, probably only 500 calories (only 2 ounces of fat loss) over the whole 5 workouts. Meanwhile she ate an extra 3,000 – 4,000 calories, at least half of which would be turned to fat (6-8 ounces of fat gain) just to be able to do the workouts.

For comparison, steady housework uses about 130 fat calories per hour. It’s a good level of effort for burning fat, and costs nothing. Because you are in proximity to food, however, you have to resist eating anything, or you switch to burning mainly sugar. Two hours housework a day will burn far more fat than most gym workouts. Let’s consider perfect fat burning again: 2 hours housekeeping per day x 6 days a week = 12 hours. Twelve hours at 130 calories = 1,560 calories (6 ounces of fat loss) per week. Beats her gym workouts – no contest.

Whenever I see nonsensical gym programs for fat loss I turn back to the rigorous meta-analysis of 25 years of controlled research on exercise and fat loss published in The International Journal of Obesity. These were all medium intense gym programs for fat loss, supervised and motivated by university trainers. They counted only people who attended regularly for 4-6 hours per week. Average weight loss over all the studies was 6.4 lbs in 15 weeks. That’s an average loss of only 7 ounces a week.(1)

The researchers also examined studies that added a reasonable nutrition program to the exercise. Results got much rosier. The same meta-analysis examined the best of the exercise-plus-diet studies over 25 years. In 15 weeks, on a good diet plus 4-6 hours per week in the gym, subjects lost an average of 24.2 lbs. That’s a loss of 1.6 lbs per week.(1)

So, if we compare the exercise alone groups (loss of 6.4 lbs) with the exercise-plus-diet groups (loss of 24.2 lbs), adding the nutrition resulted in a loss of 17.8 lbs of fat. Now you know, no matter what anyone tells you, fat loss is mostly dependent on what and when you eat.

My client is back on her diet track now. After torturing herself very expensively in the gym for 5 hours, our body composition machine showed a gain of 4 lbs, about 3 lbs of water because her body was swollen from the effort, and about 1 lbs of fat. By working out until (in her own words), “my legs turned to Jello”, she had wiped out a week of the fat loss she was getting from a simple diet of two shakes and one meal a day. As I have written many times before, the usual exercise program is excellent at removing fat – but only from your wallet.

If you want to learn more secrets of weight loss go to The Healthy Helms Website.

 1. Miller WC, Koceja DM Hamilton EJ. A meta-analysis of the past 25 years of weight loss research using diet, exercise or diet plus exercise intervention. Int J Obesity, 1997;21:941-947.

How to Reduce Your Body Fat Percentage

Image from LiveStrong.com

Wonder how to reduce your body fat percentage?  Here is a great presentation from the LiveStrong  blog.

Click HERE for presentation.

Sweet Dreams Herbal Dream Pillow

I used to have a lot of trouble falling and staying asleep.  I would only sleep 3-4 hours a night if I slept at all.  That has all changed (ask me about my super sleep potion and Triple-B!).  Now that I am sleeping I want to have sweet dreams.  A friend of mine gave me a recipe for a "sleepy-time dream pillow."  Here is the recipe for you.

Possible Base Ingredients:

Anise – Repels nightmares, but be sure to use sparingly.

Calendula – Used to induce restful sleep.

Catnip - Increases restful sleep. Especially good for babies and children.

Cedar – Repels bad dreams.

Chamomile – Used for relaxation and pleasant dreams.

Hops – Aids in restful sleep and healing.

Jasmine – The dried flowers are useful for romantic and erotic dreams, especially for women.

Lavender – These flowers have the ability to ease stress, soothe, and relax. A simple pillow made only with lavender can be simply perfect.

Lemon Balm – A known for it’s ability to reduce anxiety and insomnia. Also valuable for relieving headaches and stress.

Mugwort - Protection.

Mullein – Guards against nightmares.

Rose petals – Adds loving and peaceful thoughts to dreams.

Rosemary - Repels bad dreams, but use sparingly due to the strong scent.           

Be sure all the ingredients are completely dry before combining them, then store in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for 4 or 5 days. 

Use 1 or 2 of the sedative varieties mentioned above as a base, then add rose petals, or leaves, mint, any of the lemon-scented herbs, linden blossoms, or any favorite spice for fragrance.

Once you've decided on the blend, you're ready to make the bag itself.  It should be flat, even after it's filled, so it is comfortable to lie on, and not too large.  My friend used "spent" dryer sheets by putting two of the sheets together then sewing around three sides of the edge to make a pocket, added the herbs, spices, etc, then sew the pocket at the top and using pinking sheers to cut around the border to give a pretty edging to the pillow. This little bag slipped easily under my pillow case and released a soothing fragrance all night long.  Muslin is another inexpensive material used for making the bags.

Another idea is to make a "bed post" pouch.  You can find draw string bags in a craft store.  All you have to do is fill the bag up with your favorite herbs and spices, draw the string and then hang on your bed post.  This is also a great "reusable" solution!

If you have a special hankerchief (my aunt used to collect them) ... you can fill the center with herbs, etc, then pull the corners up together and tie the top with a pretty satin ribbon.

Even babies can benefit.  A sleep pillow filled with dill (an herb seldom used for adults) will lull them to sleep when they're restless.  Put the bag under the crib sheet or outside the crib to eliminate the possibility of choking.

Keep your herb pillow nearby for an hour or so before you go to bed, then either sleep on it, or keep it close to your head.  Enjoy the gentle fragrance as you drift off and sleep into the sweetest of dreams, just like Panda in her box of catnip.


Can You Believe It? Cauli-Tots -- Recipe

I love cauliflower, but I usually just steam it or eat it raw.  Here is a fun new recipe for Cauli-Tots  from BBB Seed Company,

Smokey Spiced Grilled Cauli-Tots

To make smokey grilled cauli-tots simply cut a head of cauliflower into chunks large enough that they won't fall through your grill.

Microwave them in a bowl for about a minute just to soften them a bit before they hit the grill (unless you like your cauli-tots super crunchy).

Season them up with a little garlic, onion, pepper, and our smokey friend, smoked paprika (and of course cayenne or chili powder is option for a little added kick).

Then, just throw them on the BBQ until they get a nice charred flavor and color. Makes a great side dish!

Enjoy!

Note from Donna:  This is another great candidate for my Spicy Veggie Fry Seasoning recipe that I posted in this blog a couple of days ago. 

Why I LOVE Love Apples (Tomatoes) plus Recipe

I love using tomatoes in my cooking which is evident in how many tomato varieties I have already planted this year.  Here is a great poster from Farmers Market which explains good reasons that you should love tomatoes too!  Followed by a great recipe for Baked Tomatoes Oregano.

Baked Tomatoes Oregano

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Cook Time: 20 minutes                  Serves: 4



Image from AllRecipes.com



Note:  Ripe tomatoes are baked with Romano cheese, fresh bread crumbs, garlic and herbs.  It reminds me of pizza without the crust!  I love this simple recipe on nights we are grilling.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
1/8 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Sprig of basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place tomato slices close together in prepared  baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano.

3.  Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is lightly toasted.

4.  Garnish with a sprig of basil.

Nutrition Info: Calories: 110     Total Fat: 5g     Cholesterol: 4mg     Sodium: 103mg
Total Carbs: 14g (Dietary Fiber 3g)     Protein: 3g



My Spicy Veggie Fry Spice - Recipe

Fries are not just for potatoes any more.  Since Tom and I have started growing our own produce, I have discovered you can make "fries" out of all kinds of veggies.  I've used sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and lot of different squashes.  The other great thing about my veggie fries ... is that they are not "fried" at all ... they are baked!! (Taking out TONS of calories and fats).

I like my fries "spicy" so I have come up with what I consider a great seasoning for my veggie creations.

I start off by setting the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. 

The next step is to cut up the veggies (in this case I am using Georgia Jet yams/sweet potatoes).

Then I mix the seasoning which consists of:
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground salt (I use Himalayan Salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Here is a little time saving tip.  I mix up 3-4 times the amount of seasoning that I need and put it into a shaker bottle.  Not only does it save time when I am trying to make dinner, it also makes it easier to evenly distribute the seasoning over the "fries."

Next I lightly spray the vegetables with an olive oil cooking spray (like Pam), and I shake some of the seasoning onto the veggies.

Pop them into the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (turning once after 10 minutes).

Take out and enjoy.  I like to serve sweet potato fries with light ranch dressing for dipping.

Let me know what you think?

Nutrition & Fitness Apps

The ONLY reason I have a mobile phone is because I am in LOVE with apps (I actually HATE talking on the phone!!)  Here are “8 Health and Fitness Apps for Couch Potatoes” by Anne Karasek.

Apps to get you moving

iTreadmill – $1.99 — No gym? No excuses. iTreadmill is a virtual treadmill (hence the name) that tracks everything a treadmill can track during use, including distance, current pace, average pace, current speed, average speed, calories, steps per minute, step count and elapsed time. Think of this app as a treadmill right in your hand. It also allows you to track your run history; shows graphs of your runs for motivation and even set goals for yourself. You don’t have to be a runner to use this app; many use iTreadmill for walking around the neighborhood, local malls or even running around the park.

C2K – Free — Imagine being able to run a 5k in just eight short weeks. All it takes is 30 minutes a day, three days a week.  This app is amazing and totally fool-proof to get you there. With C2K, you basically have a personal trainer right in your hand as the app has an audio coach that alerts you when it’s time to run and when it’s time to walk. I’ve completed the first two weeks of the program, and I love it. It starts with a brisk five-minute warm up, alternates between 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of brisk walking for 20 minutes, and finishes with a five-minute cool down. As the workouts go along, you begin to walk less and run more, and it is a simple way to build your running capacity. This app also lets you jam out to your own music, and you can even alternate playing pump up songs during the running part and more chill songs during the walking part.

Runtastic – Free — Who wouldn’t want a personal cheerleader in her pocket? (OK, maybe not everyone; that would get annoying.) But if that’s your thing, Runtastic gives you live cheering during your workouts to help you stay motivated. Runtastic is your personal tracking app, and all-in-one exercise app for running, biking and other cardio activities. With a built in GPS, you can map out your activities, as well as track distance, time, speed, calories and pace. Haven’t you always wanted to know how long a walk from Fenway to Newbury Street really is, and how many calories you’ve burned on your way to get fro-yo? Well, now with this app, you can track it, burn calories and set goals.

Pocket Yoga – $2.99 — Get your Zen on anywhere and anytime. As a yoga-skeptic, I’ve been officially converted by using this app. Pocket Yoga allows you to do yoga at your own pace and on your own time. It features three different practices, three different difficulty levels and three different lengths of time for your workout, for a total of 27 different yoga sessions. Pocket Yoga also features detailed voice instructions and visual instructions to guide you through every pose, including breathing techniques. Pocket Yoga does feature soothing default music, but if you feel like listening to Jay Z while you Zen out, you can do that as well.

FitBit – Free; Device: $100 — This app is a little more of a commitment because first you need to purchase a FitBit monitor called, “The One,” priced at $100. If you are serious about getting healthy, this app is serious to get you there by turning health into a lifestyle for you. This little device measures your sleep cycle and helps you learn how to sleep better. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned and even stairs climbed. By getting the free FitBit app, you can track your progress via the FitBit on your phone.

Apps as nutrition trackers

MyFitnessPal – Free — Nobody loves to track calories, but unfortunately, spring is coming, and we can no longer hide in our oversized coats and sweaters.With MyFitnessPal, you can track what you eat digitally. I’ve used MyFitnessPal for the past four years, and it helps me know how many calories I’m eating while also tracking my exercise and allowing me to set weight loss goals. It has a database of over 2 million foods and 350 exercises, and it allows you to create your own foods and exercises if you can’t find them in their database. You can also track with friends to motivate yourself because, according to MyFitnessPal, members who diet with friends lose three times more weight on average.

LoseIt! – Free — LoseIt! is another app that tracks your food input and exercise. It has a database of food and exercise activities, which allows you to accurately track what you eat. You can also earn badges for your successes and share your progress on Twitter and Facebook. Like MyFitnessPal, it creates a report on protein, fats, carbohydrates and more. It also lets you see how you’re doing with your weight loss goals.

LiveStrong – Lite free; full $2.99 — Although Lance may have let us down, the LiveStrong food and exercise app won’t. Created with MyPlate in mind (the new version of the food pyramid), its focus is on helping you eat a balanced and nutritional meal. It takes into account your age, gender and activity level, allowing you to customize your goals for nutrition or weight loss.

... Dance Like No One Is Watching ...

For too much of my life I have been to hung up on what people thought of me ... ashamed about the way I looked ... I would hide ... and consequently I never really let myself "go" and just enjoy the heck out of my life.  In the past two years I have been stretching myself beyond my self imposed borders ... and it has been great.  I found this video, and I am choosing to take on this guy's attitude and "dance like no one is watching" ... and begin LIVING my life instead of just EXISTING!!

EFT (tapping) To Raise Your Metabolism - Try It, You'll Like It

I have recently started using EFT ("tapping") techniques and have had amazing results (more about that later in this post!!) I found this tapping sequence on "raising your metabolism" on YouTube. I decided to give it a shot and I could feel the difference immediately.  This was not just in my head.  My husband did this sequence with me and he had the same sensation after we completed the rounds!!

At first you don't really have to understand "why" this works ... just follow along with the tapper ... be sure to note how you feel before and after you do the "rounds."

Here is the video:

I know this is going to look and feel stupid (at least that is what I thought at first), but do it anyway ... here is my testimony after my first tapping experience.

Due to my diabetes I have had nerve damage to my toes.  It had become so severe that I couldn't sleep at night due to the "pins & needles" sensations.  I would have to take a scalding hot bath each night to overwhelm those nerves so I could sleep.  My husband talked me into trying EFT for the problem with my toes ... skeptically I agreed.  I did 3 rounds of tapping where the beginning pain was at a "10" and when I finished it was at a "1."  (This process took less than 5 minutes).  That was the first night I went to sleep without pain.  The next night the pain was back, but just in my big toe.  I did one more round of tapping and the pain went away and has not returned, even though it has been over three weeks.

I am not really sure why it worked ... but it did!!!  I hope you have this kind of success with your tapping experience.