Furtive fitness

What kind of work outs do you do?


Furtive fitness

Bypass BBQ bacteria

Be wary of these PESKY intruders!! They weren't invited to the PAR-TAY now were they?? LOL.

Bypass BBQ bacteria

A laborless Labor Day - Boulder Nutrition | Examiner.com

No need to "work up a sweat" over the labor day festivities! :)


A laborless Labor Day - Boulder Nutrition | Examiner.com

I think you know what to do...

IT'S FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!! NO NEED FOR ME TO GIVE YOU TIPS ON WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND - I AM SURE YOU ALL HAVE WONDERFUL PLANS! IF ANYTHING COME MONDAY = TELL ME ALL ABOUT THEM!


HAPPY 4TH - BE SAFE! DON'T DO ANYTHING TOO STUPID BUT HAVE FUN!!

Some Things Just Don't Work Out

Ever made plans that just sort of fell through leaving you wondering: "Now what am I going to do with myself?"... Well most Saturdays and Sundays I am left with that question... When the weather just doesn't pan out, or a friend is all of a sudden unavailable - I'm left to figure out how to occupy myself for the rest of the day...


To all of you who are on the same boat as me... I have come up with some ideas on how to keep your days filled with activities that make the time pass:


1. Outdoor Sports (Soccer, Basket Ball, Frisbee, Golf, Biking, Skate Boarding, Hiking, Tennis, Swimming, Roller Blading, Kayaking, Tubing, etc)

2. Sun-Tanning (now, do this safely!)

3. Scrap Booking (It's time to get rid of the magazines you've had since last June!)

4. Puzzles

5. Baking (and if you really want to have fun, film yourself doing it and pretend like you're on a cooking show! ha ha)

6. Cleaning (because it has to get done SOME TIME!)

7. Catching Up on Odds & Ends (Grocery Shopping, Target, Dry Cleaning, Car Wash, things like that)

8. See a Movie

9. Get a Pedicure/Manicure (Yes, gentlemen you can get them too! ha ha)

10. Get a Massage

11. Card Games/Board Games

12. Surfing, Wind Surfing, Jet Skiing, Sailing, etc (if you live near water)

13. Voluenteering

14. Sleeping (ah yes, who wouldn't want to?)

15. Site-See (yes, sounds odd, especially if you've lived in your town for a while, but it's amazing what you haven't seen!)

16. Sample Food at Different Restaurants

17. Go to the Museum or Art Galleries (yes, you know you want to)

18. Spend the afternoon at the bookstore (definitely have done that before!)

19. Have a Picnic or a Cookout (You can do this in a healthy fashion too)

20. Walk Your Dog or Borrow Your Neighbors

21. Jump on a Trampoline

22. Run Through The Sprinklers

23. Do a Crossword Puzzle (These take me a very long time! ha ha)

24. Play Wii

25. Just Relish in the Moment of Not Having a THING TO DO!


So yea, those might be some LAME ways to fill in your afternoon but sometimes doing at least SOMETHING is better than NOTHING at all! And even if you do decide to do absolutely NOTHING - Don't feel too guilty, after all the weekend is your time off so why not really USE IT THAT WAY!

Is There Such A Thing As Healthy BBQ?

Who doesn't have a memory filled with BBQs, family, friends, sunshine and outdoor activities? Oh the memories of helping dad at the grill flip the burgers and dogs while mom prepares the condiments. Of course it could have been the other way around or who knows, maybe you were the one cooking, well whatever your memories may be, I am pretty sure every one's included things such as hamburgers, cheese burgers, hot dogs, ribs, corn, potato salad, etc... This is where BBQing gets a bad wrap because all the foods listed are known for their extreme calorie and saturated fat content!


Foods such as...

• Hot Dogs (Pork or Grain-Fed Beef)
• Grain Fed Hamburgers
• Ribs
• White Buns (PLEASE USE WHOLE GRAIN BUNS!!)
  
• Ketchup (full of sugar)
• Coleslaw
• Potato Salad
• Corn rubbed with Butter
• BBQ Sauce
• Chicken Wings

... should either be eliminated completely or eaten sparingly...


Luckily though, healthy BBQ isn't an oxymoron; it certainly can be done! Here is a list of wonderful foods on the grill, that are healthy and won't do damage to your waistline/figure:

• Grass-fed Beef, Bison, Elk, Ostrich, Venison, Lamb & Goat
• Salmon Fillets
• Halibut Steaks
• Swordfish
• Tuna
• Kabobs of Scallops & Shrimp
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Zucchini & Summer Squash
  
• Chicken & Turkey (Breast or Ground White Meat)
  
• Sea Bass
  
• Grass-fed Bison or Beef Brats/Hot Dogs
  
• Bell Peppers
• Portobello Mushrooms

Some wonderful marinades (chimmichuri sauce being one) can be made for all of the above listed along with crazy combinations of different yet healthy foods... anyone ever try a turkey burger stuffed with olives, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes & hot sauce? What about a beef burger with artichoke hearts, olives, capers, garlic & minced onions?


In order to retain the FLAVOR (that you might think is LOST from not eating the fatty cuts of meat typically seen at a BBQ) you simply have to be creative! (Oh and I am sure I will post some intense combinations sooner or later...) Just to suppress your intense desire for my creations... here is a list of wonderful herbs, spices, seasonings, and other condiments to use on your new and improved BBQ foods:

• Thyme
• Basil
• Oregano
• Sage
• Chili Powder
• Mustard Powder
• Curry Powder
• Paprika
• Parsley
• Rosemary
  
• Pepper
• Cumin
• Olive Oil
• Tomato Paste
• Olive Tapenade
• Sun-Dried Tomato
• Olives & Capers
• Pickles (no sugar added)
  
• Sauerkraut
• Mustard (no sugar added)
• Citrus Juices

And yes, you knew this part was coming... condiments to avoid:

• BBQ Sauce
• Jarred Relish
• Bread & Butter Pickles
• Butter
• Mayonnaise
  
• Honey Mustard
• Cheese

I'm sorry if this ruined BBQing for you because it really shouldn't... You just have to give the "It Is What It Is" Approved Food List a chance! I promise you will be impressed with the results and your stomach will also be thanking you and asking for more at your next family gathering! So why not break out the grass-fed beef and the halibut steaks and get grilling!!







*Things to remember: marinating all meat before cooking helps reduce the formation of chemicals that are formed when foods are cooked at high heat. Also remember to clean your grill before and after use! Pot Holders may be useful and also consider having a fire extinguisher near by if your new to the whole grilling thing!
*I don't know if you caught on... but the foods in green = GO FOR IT... while the foods in red = STOP! Ha Ha!
*Sorry Jack Daniels... but you are full of sugar!

You Can't Hide From It, So Embrace It Safely!

I am sure all of you are extremely tired from the mundane/routine tasks you completed all week... I know I am. Weekends are a perfectly way to unwind from these 5 hectic days from hell. Seeing friends, sleeping, pampering yourself, all fall into that category. Another great way to completely unwind while obtaining some health benefits is by sun tanning.

I know exactly what you're thinking... "I thought sun-tanning was bad for us"... "Um excuse me, skin cancer!"... "When I go outside I use SPF 100 because I don't want to risk it"... "WRINKLES!"...

(One Big Ball of Concentrated Skin Cancer & Vitamin D! ha ha)

Yes, all of those things can result from sun-tanning... but that's why I am here to tell you how to tan safely and reap the benefits that come with basking in it!

First things first... if you want a golden tint... go outside for it! Never ever use a tanning bed! In tanning beds the only UV rays available are UVA rays which cause the most damage (while also giving you that bronzed glow... or red as a lobster look). Plus when you are laying in a tanning booth completely nude, the distance between the rays and your body is quite close - tanning beds are 2 to 3 times MORE POWERFUL than UVA rays from the sun... Thus more rays are absorbed into your body. What happens when these rays are soaked up? Well they do a number to your immune system (weaken it) which means you are more susceptible to getting skin cancer. Yikes!

When you're outside both UVA and UVB rays are present... which means the risk of getting skin cancer is there as well because two powerful rays are being absorbed into your body... No wonder there are so many sun block brands with high SPFs - getting skin cancer is rather easy!

So what can you do to make sure you are not part of the statistic (of those who get skin cancer per year)? This may come as a shock to you but for the first ten minutes of being outside, wear no sun screen at all... This way you obtain an ample amount of Vitamin D which is one of the vitamins most every American is deficient in. Vitamin D is a "wonder drug" and new findings keep supplying more information in it's favor.

After those health boosting ten minutes though, slather on some SPF 35 and reapply it every 2 hours!! This is hard to remember because some either fall asleep outside or get too involved in the Frisbee game... that's why perhaps you should turn on the timer on your cell phone - anything to get you to remember to reapply that sun screen!

Now I won't lie to you - I am pretty bad at putting sun screen on myself... but I have definitely paid for it and will try my best this summer to keep up a healthy sun screen routine!

Who's with me?

PS: HAPPY WEEKEND!!!