Exercise Bands Can Be Dangerous.

Thanksgiving was delicious, but now it's time to get back to business and keep up the workouts and get back to eating healthy. Check out this funny video of a guy trying to film his own exercise video. This is the reason I have yet to record my own. Hope this makes you laugh and be sure to enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!


Tube Snaps Exercise Guru in the Face - Watch more Free Videos

A $218,000,000,000 Bailout?!?!

Nope that 218 billion dollars isn't a government bailout plan. It is the amount of money diabetes is costing our country just last year! That amounts to about 10% of all healthcare spending by the government and the public. Diabetes is linked to obesity and sedentary lifestyles and seeing as how obesity numbers continue to rise dramatically that number will rise right along with it.

What can we do to help? Educate and inspire people to exercise, eat right, and take care of themselves! Tell people why you exercise and what it has done for you. Personal stories are very powerful so share yours with others in hopes of inspiring them to take action. Let's get back to basics and take care of those around us.

Our healthcare system is very reactive and we need to be proactive. Companies and coalitions have been formed to give diabetes patients medication with no co-pay or will pay doctors extra for caring for patients with diabetes. Wouldn't it make more sense to give them a treadmill, gym membership, or to prescribe an exercise program.

Whatever your view might be on the subject I think it definitely warrants some thought. How can we afford to spend 218 billion dollars on a disease that can be controlled? I guess it falls in line with the reasoning behind why people continue to smoke? To read the article in its entirety click here.

Elf Yourself!

I know it may be a little early to start wishing people a "Merry Christmas", but I just couldn't help myself! So Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas all at the same time. I put together a little dance routine that I recorded over the weekend to honor the occasion I hope you enjoy:)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wheelchair Bodybuilding.

If you've never heard of wheelchair bodybuilding you are missing out on some incredible individuals. The men and women that compete in this sport are truly some of the most inspiring people around. After being faced with a situation that might upset or depress most individuals, these competitors use those emotions to fuel their desire to obtain a perfect physique. They are the perfect example of what a little hard work and discipline can do for the human body. Check out Jon's story below.



After watching that take a look at your fitness routine and ask yourself if your reaching your fitness goals and are you doing absolutely everything you can do to be your best?

Vitamin C! A Wonder Supplement?

Vitamin C over the years has been tagged with many different health benefits. A recent study has found that vitamin C supplementation could possibly help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by lowering C-Reactive protein(CRP) a biomarker usually accompanied with such disease. A daily dose of vitamin C can help those who have elevated levels of CRP, while those who did not saw no significant change. The study also found that vitamin C supplementation was found to be comparable to statin drugs in reducing the levels of CRP. To read the full article click the link below.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/129322.php

Thanksgiving Coming Early!

While doing some cardio today I happened to catch Rachel Ray cooking a rather tasty meal. It was Turkey meatloaf with cider gravy and sour cream and onion mashed potatoes. I plan on cooking it this weekend, but will substitute a few things to keep in on the healthier side.

Instead of using actual sour cream I will substitute with fat free greek style yogurt, which has the same texture as sour cream and I honestly can't tell the difference. Obviously for the ground turkey I would choose ground turkey breast as it is naturally very low in fat. Lastly I would substitute a whole wheat stuffing mix because of the effect processed white flours have on blood sugar. The only other thing I'm not thrilled about is the sugar content in the cider again because of the spike in blood sugar it causes, but hey you can't win 'em all!

Making a few small changes in the way we cook and the ingredients we use can have significant impacts in managing body weight. A quick comparison between the use of sour cream and fat-free greek style yogurt shows just how much of a difference it can make. The recipe below calls for 1 1/2 cups of sour cream for the potatoes, which yields nearly 700 calories and almost 70 grams of fat. Compare this to the greek style yogurt which the same portion provides only 180 calories almost a fourth of the sour cream. Keep in mind small changes can yield big results!

I've attached the recipe below for anyone who loves Thanksgiving as much as I do and needs a good turkey fix before Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups apple cider
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 pounds (about 6) potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
• 2 McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled and cut into small dice
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 pounds ground all-white turkey (or a mix of dark and white meat)
• 3 to 4 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups stuffing mix
• 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

Gravy-In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in the cider and stock. Let thicken, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serve turkey and stuffing meatloaf with sour cream and onion potatoes, cider gravy and some roasted broccoli or green beans.

Potatoes-In a pot of cold water, add the potatoes and bring up to a bubble over high heat.

Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot they were cooked in to dry out. Mash them up then mix in the sour cream, scallions, salt and ground black pepper.

Turkey Meatloaf-Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, add apples and lemon juice, and toss together. Add turkey, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, egg, salt and ground black pepper.

In a medium-size bowl, add the stock and the stuffing. Toss around, letting the stuffing soak up the liquid, then add it to the bowl with the turkey. Mix everything together well, then turn it out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape it into a loaf. Coat with EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast until brown and cooked through, about an hour.

Put Life into Perspective!

Nick is truly someone who we all can learn from. If your ever having a bad day keep in mind the struggles he is faced with everyday and realize all you have to do is change your outlook.

Killer At Large Pt 2

Here is the trailer of "Killer At Large". Check it out.

Killer At Large

If you remember the documentary "Supersize Me" where Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonalds for 30 straight days. A new one called Killer At Large could be even better and put more perspective on our nation's obesity problem. Check out the trailer on the website and stay posted for more about a filming in St. Louis!

www.killeratlarge.com