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Turkey Burner Workout- Nov. 28

Ready to stop eating so much turkey and burn it off?

Here is the Turkey Burner Workout. It is five simple exercises. It doesn't use any equipment, and it can be done anywhere, even in a classroom! The quicker you move and the more times you repeat the circuit, the higher your calorie burn will be.

50 Jumping Jacks

40 Deep Squats

30 Burpees

20 push-ups

10 bicycle crunches

If you're more of a beginner, simply get through the circuit at your own pace, resting as needed. Repeat it one more time if you feel up to it. If you're an intermediate exerciser, push through three continuous sets of the circuit with little to no rest. For advanced exercisers, set a timer for your desired workout length—such as 10, 15 or 20 minutes (recommended)—and then repeat the circuit as many times as possible (aka AMRAP) for time. But make sure to never sacrifice form for speed. Safety first...which reminds me: All exercisers should warm up for 3-5 minutes before you start, and stretch when they're done.

Pumpkin Smoothie- Nov. 27

I am a sucker for holiday flavored drinks, pumpkin spice latte, of course. This is a healthier alternative. In a blender, combine 1/2 cup ice, 1/2 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt, 1 tsp. honey, 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (add half a banana if you’d like). Puree until icy and smooth. Tastes like pie. (101 calories, 0 g fat) Make sure you get pumpkin puree not pie filler!

Thanksgiving!- Nov. 19th

That traditional Thanksgiving refrain, "Hooray for the pumpkin pie!" needn't be the doom to your healthy lifestyle efforts. In fact, why not use Thanksgiving to kick off a season-long flurry of healthy activities? Here's a kick-start!

1. Take a hike! Go for a run/jog/walk! After your Thanksgiving feast, put away your comfy bunny slippers and strap on your hiking boots. While family and friends are gathered around, enjoy a group outing to a nearby park.

2. Grab your bike and get peddling. Up the street, across town, around the block - it doesn't matter where you go as long as you're moving. Don't forget your helmet!

3. Can't burn leaves? Pick up that leaf rake, anyway, and burn nearly 300 calories away in an hour of moderate raking. Make big piles for the kids to jump in - then rake them up again for an even bigger calorie burn.

4. Don't let a little snow stand between you and a healthy Thanksgiving holiday. Cross-country skiing is a great, healthful activity on a snowy Thanksgiving weekend. Call around to local nature centers and county parks. Many offer moonlight specials with lighted cross-country ski trails.

5. Ask everyone at your Thanksgiving bash to bring one healthy item to pass. Skip the fried foods and gooey desserts, and concentrate on healthier baking and broiling. Put away the alcohol and high-sugar soft drinks and offer ginger-mint tea and natural fruit juices instead. (this is the hardest for me!Especially since the dish i make for Thanksgiving is Cranberry Cosmo dressing)

6. Take a family swim at the local indoor aquatic center. If that's not handy, rent a room at a local hotel that offers an indoor swimming pool. Play "Marco Polo" in the pool with the kids. Spent a few minutes in the hot tub or sauna, and you'll sleep like a baby Thanksgiving night.

7. Make some new family memories, chopping wood together for the night's fire, or trekking across a tree farm to pick out and bring down the perfect holiday conifer.

8. Give thanks this Thanksgiving - scientists believe the body can't feel stress simultaneously with rushes of gratitude. So count your blessings in a big way this Thanksgiving. It may be the healthiest activity you enjoy all year long!

Pre- Winter pick me up! - Nov. 12

Winter is in full force. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, even the best of us can get a little down. The "winter blues" are characterized by the mild depression, lack of motivation, and low energy that many people experience during this cold season. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to both prevent the blues from coming on and get yourself back to normal if they’re already here.

1. Exercise

2. Healthy Diet

3. Get Some Sun

4. Act on your resolutions

5. Avoid Binge Drinking

6. Treat yourself to Something Nice

Encouragement for Working Out in the Cold

It's freezing cold outside, it’s dark when you get home, and you're still recovering from those extra holiday calories you put away over the last couple weeks. That’s a pretty good excuse to sit inside by the fire, snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate, and watch the boob tube, right?

Wrong! While it's tempting to turn into a couch potato in winter (30 percent of people don’t exercise at all during the winter months), it's also a good time to take a deep breath, wrap up in warm clothes, summon your adventurous spirit, and get out into that crisp invigorating air. Exercise can help you shed those holiday pounds, while increasing your overall health and quality of life. And, keep in mind the winter bonus: you actually burn more calories exercising in winter because your body has to work hard to keep itself warm.

Best winter workout ever: hauling children back up the hill on a sled and then taking the sled back down!

Kugel- Nov. 12

So I am just discovering these... and I would like to know why!! I guess it is my propensity for food in the round. These are hearty fall pies! I have one recipe that i have tried or better: devoured. Try it out!

Ingredients

1/2 medium head cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut in thin strips

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 cups cooked millet (look in the ethnic section for this grain)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish. Toss the cabbage with salt to taste and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes, then add a generous pinch of salt and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is quite tender and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the dill, taste and adjust salt, and add pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, purée the cottage cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and process until the mixture is smooth. Add salt (I suggest about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper and mix together. Scrape into the bowl with the cabbage. Add the millet and stir everything together. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top and place in the oven.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the sides are nicely browned and the top is beginning to color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares or wedges.

Nutritional information: 195 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 64 milligrams cholesterol; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 148 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

Thank you NY Times for not only expanding my mind, but my taste in food!

Cardio!- Nov. 5

More Ways to Get More Out of Cardio

A typical cardio workout elevates the heart rate, helps improve lung efficiency, and burns a whole lot of calories and fat. And the good news is there are ways to get even more out of that workout.here are 12 ways to get to work.

1. Stop and start. Interval training (or alternating periods of all-out effort with periods of low-to-medium effort) can up the intensity of a run workout, while building lean mucles and maximizing calorie burn. (Score.) But high intensity interval training (HIIT) can go beyond just running. Try mixing things up with an interval workout in the pool or on a stationary bike for equally awesome results.

2. Mix and match. Intervals have applications that go beyond running or cycling. Combining strength training and cardio into one workout will produce results in as little as eight minutes. Instead of sprinting then stopping, try performing a bodyweight exercise during the rest period.

3. Belt it. Have a need for speed? Running on a treadmill might seem like a drag, but since the belt helps with leg turnover, there are few places you can go as fast. Plus, while it might be tempting to slow down outdoors, the threat of a face plant makes the treadmill a great tool for promoting consistency and pace per mile.

4. Up the incline. Hop on the treadmill and crank up the speed, but don’t forget to adjust the incline. As the incline increases so will the heart rate, sending the calorie burn through the roof. Bumping up the incline to a 5.5 percent grade or higher can also strengthen the legs and core, not to mention improve running form and sprint speed (by lengthening the stride and increasing the number of steps taken per second).

5. Just let go. Of the handrail that is. Holding onto the side of the treadmill does more harm than good. A surefire way to sabotage a workout, gripping the rails decreases energy output and oxygen consumption, significantly reducing the effectiveness of a workout. Go hands free then pump the arms from waist to chest, not across the body (which can slow you down).

6. Go off-road. If the treadmill isn’t getting the job done, head for the great outdoors. Trail running, mountain biking, or even open water swimming can add variety to boring routine. Not up for all the impact? Mix things up (while giving those joints a break) with alternative machines like the StairMaster, elliptical, or rowing machine.

7. More kettlebell. Grab the bell by the horns, or handle. Kettlebell training has been shown to provide greater cardiovascular benefits than traditional weight training methods.

8. Get around. Create a circuit training workout that stacks up a fast-paced combination of bodyweight and cardio-based exercises. By pairing resistance training with high-intensity aerobic moves back-to-back (think jump squats, burpees, and mountain climbers), the body will achieve results fast — including building muscle and burning fat.

9. Get loaded. Maybe it’s adding a weighted vest. Or carrying a case of beer (post-workout of course!) to the other side of campus. Either way, carrying additional weight while walking, running, or during daily activities has been shown to improve intensity, recovery, and recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibers (the ones that make us faster). Just be sure to keep an eye on mechanics — even a few extra lbs can make it difficult to maintain good form.

10. Ride the beat. Music more your speed? Forgo the fancy fitness gadgets and crank up the tunes. Listening to music during exercise has been shown to improve performance, increase motivation, and put distractions (like negative thoughts and fatique) on pause.

11. Get social. Building a workout routine around team sports, group activities, or fitness classes can boost performance during aerobic exercise. Can’t find a group workout that meets your needs? Train with a partner to make the entire gym experience more enjoyable, with an extra boost of accountability.

12. Fill ‘er up. Need an excuse to grab another cup o’ Joe? A pre-workout dose of caffeine can provide the pick me up needed to get moving, and improve endurance along the way. Just be careful not to overdo it: No one wants the shakes when it’s time to lift some weights.

Thanks Greatist.com for the great ideas!

Food substitutions- Nov. 5

Use this guide to help reduce the amount of fat, salt, sugar and calories as you prepare healthy recipes.

Bacon: Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey or lean prosciutto (Italian ham)

Butter, margarine, shortening or oil in baked goods:Applesauce or prune puree for half of the called-for butter, shortening or oil; butter spreads or shortenings specially formulated for baking that don't have trans fats Note: To avoid dense, soggy or flat baked goods, don't substitute oil for butter or shortening. Also don't substitute diet, whipped or tub-style margarine for regular margarine.

Cream: Fat-free half-and-half, evaporated skim milk

Cream cheese, full fat: Fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, Neufchatel, or low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth

Sugar: In most baked goods you can reduce the amount of sugar by one-half; intensify sweetness by adding vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. Or use truvia but only half the amount needed for the recipe

Sour cream: 1 cup for 1 cup plain yogurt

Meringue for frosting: Made from just egg whites and sugar, meringue can be a great fat-free substitution for traditional frosting. Feel like going a step further? Take a torch to it. Lightly charring the edges of the meringue can add a nice caramelized flavor. (Not to mention a cool visual effect!)

Whole wheat flour for white flour: In virtually any baked good, replacing white flour with whole wheat can add a whole new dimension of nutrients, flavor, and texture. Because whole wheat includes the outer shell of the grain, it also provides an extra punch of fiber, which aids in digestion and can even lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes: Just like the turnip mash, mashed cauliflower has only a fraction of the calories of potatoes and it’s nearly impossible to taste the difference. Got picky eaters at the table? Try mixing half potato, half cauliflower.

Dry beans for canned beans: Canned beans are convenient, sure, but they also tend to have excess sodium and plenty of preservatives. Plus, even though the canned versions are dirt cheap, dried beans are even cheaper! It may take a little more work (just some simple soaking and boiling), but this switch is still well worth it.

Kale chips for potato chips Who would’ve guessed that a leafy green could make such delicious chips? When lightly tossed in olive oil and some seasoning (salt and pepper, paprika, or chili powder work well) and baked, these curly greens turn into a delightfully delicate crunchy snack with less fat than the classic fried potato chip.

Experiments to Motivate Yourself- Nov. 5

Try fun experiments to motivate yourself.

Ever feel like you just can't work, or your brain just won't wake up? Try a simple experiment on yourself. Simply talk about your plans, or anything you are passionate about. When I'm stuck staring at the keyboard, I might talk about the next mountain I am going to climb here in Colorado, and suddenly I have the mental energy to get back to writing.

Try different topics, because what works for each of us will be different. You can even try this experiment on friends. When they are in a bad mood, have them explain something to you that they are passionate about. The process will change the chemicals in their brains, and so change their state of mind. Experiment to find the topics that work best - for them and yourself - and remember them for future use.

Fun experiments or just useful ones? Either way, there is no harm in trying these and other simple experiments to learn how to better use your brain.