Summer 2013 T-Minus 5 Weeks!!

I am done with school in 5 weeks! In 5 weeks I will technically be a senior in college! SCARY! This summer has so many exciting things in store for me! I am turning 21 in August (insert snickers and laughter), but honestly I am most excited to just have the chance to get a glass of wine with a friend on a weekend, nothing crazy for this future teacher!! I will also be teaching gymnastics camps, and dance camps.  I will be teaching a language immersion camp.  I will be working New Student Orientation at my college, for the 3rd year, which is one of the highlights of my summer. And I will be traveling to Indiana, Washington D.C. and possibly a few other places for conferences and to see friends.  Lastly, and before any of this fun stuff starts, I will be having surgery on my back.  A long awaited surgery, one that feels like it has been in the planning for years.  Without giving away details, my recovery won't be too long, but I will be out for a little while and I will have to do rehab for a bit.  But I am determined to continue with the summer I have planned.  This means I will need to eat well, exercise every way I know how without hurting my back and relearning how to strengthen my core to support my back muscles again.  It will be one of those times when "Hard work and determination [will NEED to] pay off."

What are you doing for Summer? Making any healthy living goals? With swimsuit season upon us, many people think they need to get ultra skinny.  Remember, it is more important to be healthy than to make yourself sick thinking and obsessing over how you look.  Find a realistic goal for yourself and work towards it.  Any progress is a positive sign.  Reward yourself with a mani/pedi, or a smoothie! Love the body you have and fight to keep it that way :) 

Stay Balanced

Easter -How are You Planning to Celebrate?

I am planning to head to Lake Tahoe for Easter with my dad.  It is about a 2.5 hour drive from my house right now, so he is going to fly up to see me, and then we will drive there.  My dad hasn't been to Tahoe in many years and neither have I.  So it should be a lot of fun.  I have the Friday before Easter off, so we are going to head out that morning to enjoy our trip to the fullest.  I am hoping it won't be snowing, but I think there will be snow on the ground (and I am hoping for it too!).  

Easter always brings with it so many memories for me.  I remember looking the for Easter bunny as a little kid.  And collecting easter eggs.  I also remember decorating my own easter eggs every year and getting to show them off to the family members who came over for Easter brunch.  We would go to easter egg hunts with my friends and take Easter pictures with the Easter bunny.  I also remember all the easter recipes.  In my house, Easter means hard boiled eggs, chocolate (LOTS of chocolate), fruit cobbler, salad, maybe a fruit salad, and a main dish.  Maybe pasta, to keep Easter brunch light.  Easter was a time for all of us to relax, because it was on a Sunday, and pig out on food, while spending time with family! Sometimes we went to church, but since I was raised with one Jewish parent and one Presbyterian parent, church was more fun for me, because it was something I wasn't used to, not because of what was actually going on.  

This year, I can't wait to take the weekend off, and spend the time relaxing, and remembering all those times with my family, and spending it with the family I have left now! Especially in a place like Lake Tahoe with so many beautiful places to escape to and explore.  I will definitely be doing my fair share of sightseeing and personal reflection time as well!

Aerial Fitness -An Alternative Work-Out

Everyday millions of men and women go into a gym.  But not all of them are going to an aerobics class or to run on the treadmill.  Some of them are going to take a new type of exercise class called Aerial Fitness, where you get to swing from the ceiling on silks.  Aerial Fitness incorporates each of the aspects of the aerial arts; this includes trapeze, aerial silks, aerial hammock.  It is also referred to as "aerial dance".  Aerial fitness classes are nothing like anything you will ever experience anywhere else.  You are suspended high above the group on curtain-like fabric which you wrap around yourself to support your body weight and you climb, and then hang and/or spin as you travel up and down the silk.  

Aerial fitness uses upper body strength, lower body strength, core strength and mind strength to combine a full body work-out.  Your arms are your main area of assistance to help you climb up the silks, while your legs are usually your main form of grip while using the trapeze bars.  The silks are a really fun way of working out, but they are usually associated with the circus.  They are known as the "flying silks" there.  

Aerial arts are both fun to do and fun to watch.  If there is an aerial arts studio near your house, take some time to go over and just watch.  You will see how much fun people are having doing this alternative to a general work-out.  It is an art of its own.  The aerial fitness classes are filled with people with big smiles on their faces, unlike most aerobic classes where everyone is cringing or struggling to push through those last reps.  The silks make you feel weightless and almost like a bird.  The fabric that the silks are made out of are very soft and supple. 

Aerial Fitness is a very good work out.  It is fun, and a way to relieve stress and have fun with friends.  You can have aerial fitness parties with friends, or go to an aerial arts performance to see how you like the show and then find aerial fitness classes in your area.   

Health Tips to Teach Kids About Staying Healthy-The Food Pyramid

Adolescents need a strong foundation to start their "balanced" lifestyle with.  They need positive role models to show them how to live healthy lives by teaching them health tips like how to cook, and what to cook.  They need to know what healthy living is and how to make healthy living choices.  They need to learn how to follow a balanced lifestyle; this can include eating well, exercising, and taking care of their mental and emotional health as well as their physical health.  

Working Out at Home-the Alternative for a Busy Lifestyle

A great way to feel good, be healthy, and stay balanced is to work out at home! Sometimes busy people don't have time to get to the gym! Either you work late, or you work early, and going on the weekend involves leaving your family for longer than you want to.  So, I am a big believer in home workouts.  You can't use the same equipment, but you can make your own!

Are You Gaining Weight Instead of Losing? Here are Some Tips that might Explain Why!

I have found a list of reasons why some "weight-loss" plans just end up backfiring in our faces.

1. Are you cutting back on your calories throughout the day and then gorging on a large dinner? By doing this you are slowing down your metabolism. Instead, eat a big breakfast, then a medium lunch and then a medium dinner.  You will be hungry for breakfast in the morning, versus still full from a huge dinner overload the night before.  
2. Don't graze, plan your meals out! Everyone is different, so figure out how many meals you need to eat a day to stay energized, and then focus on that.  Also, keeping a food journal can help as well.  
3. DON'T CRASH DIET!! I can't say this enough!! Some diets are healthy, but crash dieting, and starving yourself can be irreversibly harmful to your health.  By safely dieting, you are making sure you shed fat, not muscle.  If you crash diet, you are more likely to shed muscle as well and become weak, and possibly ill.  Burning calories is always healthier than just not consuming any.
4. Low-fat does not mean low-calorie.  Don't be fooled.  Studies have watched participants primed with a bowl of regular candy and a bowl marked "low-fat" candy, and the participants always pick the "low-fat" one and then eat more of it, thinking it is healthy.  It usually doesn't have any less calories than the regular one does though.  You can still loose weight eating the full fat types if you limit yourself

Also, have you ever noticed that the "low-fat" diet foods are usually more expensive than the regular brands? It is healthier for your bank account to get the original stuff and then just learn to portion control.  

Healthy Alternative's to Your Childhood Favorites!

As a kid did you love corndogs? Pigs in a blanket?
Do your kids love them now? But you don't want all that processed fat going into their bodies?
Well, Outoftheboxfood.com has awesome recipes that take your childhood favorites and makes them in a healthy way.
Below are some of the recipes for my favorites!


Corn Dog-
1 1/4 cups of cornmeal
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, plus 1/2 cup for dredging.
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
8 uncooked turkey hot dogs
8 wood skewers (you can make these without the skewers if you want and just cut them up)
Vegetable oil for frying, approx. 2 quarts

1. Preheat 1-2" oil in a pot until @375 degrees
2. Put hot dogs on skewers
3. Place cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a container, shake until all combined
4. Add eggs, milk and honey.  Shake until all combined again.  
5. Pour reserved 1/2 cup of flour onto a plate and roll skewered hot dogs in flour to coat
6. Dip hot dogs into container several times to coat with batter 
7. Place corn dog in hot oil until golden brown
8. Remove and put on paper towel lined plate.  

Pigs in a Blanket-
Trader Joes' All Natural Cocktail Pups
Pillsbury Reduced Fat Puff Pastry Dough

Just cut the pastry dough into triangles, then roll the cocktail pups up in the puff pastry! Cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  (until golden brown and puffed up).  You can add reduced fat cheese or low-fat mustard before you bake the pigs in a blanket if you would like as well.  Or just use the mustard as a dipping sauce.

Pop Tarts:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
4 tbsp flax meal
16 tbsp butter (cold)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
5 tbsp ice water

For filling:
2 12 oz bags frozen organic strawberries
1/4 cups raw sugar

For Jam-

1. In a saucepan, heat strawberries until they begin to release juices 
2. Add sugar
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Cool and set aside
5. Place

For Pastry

1. Place butter in freezer for about 15 minutes to make sure it is very cold
2. Whisk flour, flax meal, and sea salt
3. Cube butter into 1/2" pieces and add to flour mixture
4. Blend with pastry press or in food processor until crumbly
5. Drizzle ice water over flour mixture and toss with a fork
6. Turn dough out onto smooth surface and divide into four pieces 
7. Using your hands, press dough down lightly, don't overdue it though and warm it with your hands
8. Scrape up all dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap, press down into a 4-5" disk and wrap in plastic wrap
9. Refrigerate for about an hour

To assemble Pop Tarts-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Roll dough into a huge rectangle
3. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut an even number of equal sized squares or rectangles our of the dough
4. Place a dollop of the strawberry jam into the center of half of the dough pieces 
5. Top each jam topped piece of dough with one of the equally sized plain pieces
6. Crimp the edges of the pop tarts with a fork
7. Brush with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes 

These can be frozen too :) Super easy snack or breakfast! 

Secrets to Staying Slim

The term slim is tricky.  Slim technically means healthy, svelte, a weight that is good for your height and proportions. It does not mean toothpick, or skinny, or size 00 or anything that should cause a person to make themselves starve to create a warped body image.

I found 8 Secrets to Staying Slim (they may be updated if I find more, but these are the starting 8)

1.  Satisfied over Stuffed-Be aware of how full you are.  Take breaks while you eat and do a check in for yourself of how full you are.  Use a 1-10 scale.  If you are above an 8, then slow down, you are probably almost full and the food just needs to digest.  
2. Being hungry isn't an emergency-don't rush to the fridge the second you feel a slight twinge of hunger.  Make sure you really are hungry before you rip open that bag of chips, and better yet, reach for a protein bar, or a bag of grapes
3. Don't cure sadness with food-Teach yourself about HALT-hungry, angry, lonely and tired.  If you are hungry, eat a snack like a handful of nuts or some fruit.  If you are angry, instead of eating a sleeve of Oreos, go for a run or walk around your house.  The endorphins you create will lighten your mood.  If you are lonely-call a friend, go to the mall, e-mail a family member.  Being around people helps you feel more comfortable to your community.  If you are tired-SLEEP! 
4. Eat more fruit-Sprinkle berries into your cereal or yogurt in the morning.  Add sliced apple or pear to your sandwiches.  Add berries or sliced fruit to your salads.  Aim for 3 servings a day. 
5. Creatures of habit-Dr. David Katz(author of The Flaver Full Diet) says that most people who stay thin usually have a food index that they stay around.  An example would be cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and grilled chicken with steamed veggies for dinner.  Its ok to add turkey to your salad or switch up your veggies, but keeping on a track helps your stay balanced.  
6. Self-Control gene-create self-control for yourself for when disinhibition is high. When you are at an event, tell yourself you will only take 3 or 4 hors d'ouevres that are passed around.  If you go out to dinner, order an appetizer and then share a dessert if you find something you really want on the menu.  And if it is finals time or tax season or a busy month in the office, make sure you have tasty, big flavored and crunchy snacks like carrots, granola, or fruit at the ready.   
7. Movers and shakers-Make sure you are moving around.  Many people over-estimate how active their days really are.  Where a pedometer so you can gauge how much you are moving.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and try to get up to 10,000 steps a day.
8. Sleep Well-make sure you are sleeping.  It sounds easy, but it is very important.  Work your way up to 8 hours and see how much more refreshed and happy you feel.  

Spring Break....Time to Get Back on Balance and Avoid Falling Off

It is Spring Break here! And I am SO excited! I can't wait to see my dad and my puppy at home.  I can't wait to sleep in and lay around all day and have free time to do whatever I want.  Oh...and want to know what else I can't wait to do...I can't wait to EAT! I love going home to Southern California because I get to eat at my favorite restaurants.  I get to eat steak at Flemings, the best Veal Milanese at Il Barone, and garlic parmesan fries that would make your mouth water from a mile away at The Counter! None of this sounds healthy though does it?

They aren't leafy salads and cucumber soup, but they do have nutritional value.  Lean beef is an anti-inflammatory, did you know that? It is also filled with iron, omega 3, and Vitamin B12.  The nutrients in red meat help your body create healthy skin, bones and eyes.  Veal is one of the leanest meats, and is usually the most tender. Both veal and beef are stated to be "part of a well balanced diet".  And well....parmesan garlic fries are just really tasty.