Meatless Monday

Looking for a great salad recipe for Meatless Monday?  Check out this Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.

Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club?

Do you tend to clean your plate?  As a child were you taught to eat everything on your plate or else no dessert? 

The eat-it-all rule is one of the hardest to break.  But think of it this way, every time you eat food your body doesn't need or want, you are wasting it!  So now you have a choice.  You can either get rid of the extra food on your plate by throwing it away or eating it.  Either way, it's wasted. 

Make a commitment today that you will not waste food that you don't really need or want by putting it into your body. 

It's Meatless Monday!

Check out the recipes at  www.moosewoodfoods.com/ for some great vegetarian recipes. 

I'll be making the Cilantro Omelet. 

Can your fridge and pantry help you get in shape?

Sure, you’ve heard it before. Clean out the fridge and pantry when starting a new diet. Throw out the junk food.  But can the way you position your groceries help you get in shape? Yes it can! Just follow these tips.

Fill your eye-level shelf with fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks. You’re 2.7 times more likely to eat food that is in your line of sight.

Watch how you pack up those leftovers. Brian Wansink, PH.D., author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, says that a variety of small leftover containers tempt us to eat more than we’ve planned. Instead, combine the leftover entrees and sides so that each container has one meal’s worth.

Instead of grocery shopping once a week, hit the supermarket more often and buy only for the next few meals. Too many choices at home may destroy your willpower. Just make sure you shop with a list and don’t go to the store hungry.

Store your healthy snacks front and center. Stash the not so healthy snacks out of sight. Make sure you eat the healthy ones.

Mark Your Calendars!

Adult Yoga
Saturday, June 19, 7:45 AM

Join us at the libary for a series of beginning to intermediate poses to help strengthen your body and calm your mind. Bring a yoga mat and thick blanket to class. Comfortable clothing advised.

Check out the new Meatless Monday Poll

It's located in the right had column of the Shape Up Blog. 

It's Meatless Monday!

What better time to try tofu then Meatless Monday! 

We'll be having Tofu Fajitas.  These are quick and simple to make.  Just take your favorite fajita recipe and replace the meat with tofu! 


To learn more about tofu and get some great recipes check out www.tofu-recipe.com/.

Hot Weather Exercise

Outdoor exercise can be challenging when the temperature soars. Stay safe with these hot-weather exercise tips. 

• Take it slow. If you're used to exercising in cooler temps then be sure to take it easy at first.  Give your body time to adapt to the heat.  Gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts.
• Drink plenty of water - even if you don't feel thirsty.  Your body's ability to sweat and cool down depends on adequate re-hydration. 
• Dress appropriately. Avoid dark colors, which can absorb the heat. A light-colored hat can limit your exposure to the sun.  Wear lightweight, loose fitting clothing to promote sweat evaporation. 
• Exercise in the morning or evening.  The middle of the day is usually the hottest. 
• Wear sunscreen.  

If you're concerned about the heat or humidity, stay indoors. Work out at the gym, walk laps inside the mall or climb stairs inside an air-conditioned building.

Safe Produce at Home

Experts at the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend taking these steps to reduce the risk of food-borne illness from fresh produce.

• Thoroughly rinse all your fruits and vegetables under running water before you eat them.  
• Cut away bruised and damaged areas on fruits and vegetables because they can harbor bacteria.  
• Thoroughly wash all fruits that require peeling or cutting, like melons, before eating because bacteria can transfer from the exterior to the flesh when the fruit is sliced.  
• Remove and throw away the outer leaves of lettuce or cabbage before washing and eating.  
• Don't leave sliced fruit or vegetables at room temperature for more than two hours because bacteria can thrive on the cut surface.  
• Always wash your hands before and after handling fresh produce.  
• Avoid eating sprouts because bacteria can get into the seeds before the sprouts are grown, and it's nearly impossible to wash out.

Fresh fruits and vegetables taste great and they also contain an array of vitamins, minerals, fiber and important health-promoting antioxidants.  Follow these step to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables worry free. 

It's Meatless Monday!

Pasta Primavera is on our menu tonight! 

Visit the Meatless Monday website for the recipe.

What I learned this week.

1.  Having a box of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip / Pecan cookies in the house is not a good idea.

2. A bag of Trail Mix priced at $1.00 may be a bargain money-wise but not so much calorie-wise (especially if you eat it all in one day).

What have you learned this week?

It’s time to make friends with your scale.

After tracking more that 16,000 dieters, studies have shown indisputable evidence that the scale is one of the most effective tools for controlling weight.
Here are five tips to help you make friends with your scale and use it to your weight loss advantage.

1. Weigh yourself daily. The more you weigh yourself, the more you will lose. In one study, people that weighed themselves daily lost twice as many pounds as people that weighed weekly. People that avoided the scale typically gained. 

2. Buy a basic digital scale that displays weight to the nearest ½ pound. Don’t spend hundreds on a high end scale that estimates your body fat percentage because there are too many inaccuracies based on fluctuations in how much water you drink. Plus it’s just one more number you need to worry about.

3. Weigh yourself at the same time every day. Preferably first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and with nothing on. Track your results and focus on the pattern over time. The number may go up and down from one day to the next, but the overall direction month to month should be down if you're trying to lose weight.

4. Weigh yourself in the same spot every day. Your bathroom floor should work just fine, but if the floor is textured the readout could be off. Carpet of any thickness can absorb some of your weight, throwing off the scale's sensors and decreasing your weight by 20 pounds or more. For the most accurate reading, place your scale on a bare floor that's hard, flat, and level. You can test the scale's accuracy by weighing an object whose weight you know - like a dumbbell.

5. Track other markers such as the size of your waist and thighs (using a tape measure), how your clothes fit, or how much energy you have. In a recent study from the University of California at Berkeley, women in their mid-50s followed a 12-week cycling routine while eating a diet designed to maintain their weight. One 56-year-old lost just 1 pound but dropped two sizes, thanks to a 7 percent decrease in body fat. She replaced about 4 pounds of fat with 4 pounds of muscle. Pound for pound, muscle is firmer and denser, and it takes up about one-third the space of fat. But do not assume your scale is stuck due to new muscle. According to Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., author of Get Stronger, Feel Younger, it normally takes about a month of strength-training to add a single pound of muscle.

Don't forget, if you don't have a scale at home you can still weigh in at the library.  You will have to keep your clothes on though!  :)