Trying to lower your carbs this year?  Check out this pasta alternate from clumsywarrior.com

clumsywarrior.com

Zucchini Carbonara

Ingredients (1 serving for a light dinner)
1 zucchini, ribboned
half yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stripes of bacon
1 egg yolk
2 table-spoon of olive oil
1/8 cup heavy cream
parmesan cheese, shaved
salt and pepper

get the how to!

Travel Fitness: A Plan of Action to Keep You Active

Traveling can easily get you out of your routine so here are a few tips to keep you in motivated and ready to exercise while traveling for the holidays!

Travel Fitness: A Plan of Action to Keep You Active

It is easy to let a vacation or business trip destroy your fitness schedule and eating habits, but why let something as rewarding as a vacation or as exciting as a business trip leave you feeling unhealthy upon return?

With a little research and proper planning, you can create an easy-to-follow plan to keep you fit and healthy no matter where you travel, and you can come home feeling more healthy and energized than when you left.

Nature’s Playground and Man’s Monuments

There is no excuse for not finding places to exercise when every city has a great staircase, stadium or tall buildings where you can master the stairs without a machine. If stairs aren’t your thing, cities have lots of places good for walking, running or even hiking. Ask the hotel concierge if there are parks or trails nearby; or if you have ventured to the mountains, ask for a map of local hiking trails.

It is also a good idea to ask the concierge for a map of the city to find out how many of your destinations are reachable by foot. (Walking will increase your fitness and decrease your taxi fares.)

Prior to departure on your trip, find out if your hotel has a workout facility and a pool, and remember to pack your bathing suit and workout clothes. If they don’t have a facility, they may be affiliated with a local gym where you can get a one-day pass for a small fee.

There are no limits to the exercise you can do while exploring new territory. Make the most of your trip, and get to know the city by foot.

Prepare for Power, No Excuses

If your hotel doesn’t offer fitness accommodations, bring along a jump rope and an exercise tube. They are both lightweight and easy to transport. Jumping rope is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise, and you can do it anywhere.

With the exercise tube and a prearranged plan to keep you motivated, you can keep your entire body toned and energized without entering a gym or stepping on a piece of exercise equipment. Numerous magazines and websites offer workout instructions for each body part.

And, of course, body-weight exercises such as push-ups and crunches require no equipment at all. The point is to find a workout routine that suits your needs and follow it. Plan a specific time each day or every other day to do your strengthening and cardiovascular routines (a good plan is to alternate days between the two).

Remember that the 20 to 60 minutes you spend working out each day is for you, and try to stay on schedule.

Have Fun

Be sure to enjoy yourself and make the most of the area to which you have traveled. Remember to bring comfortable shoes so that you can easily get a workout while using your feet as your main mode of transportation.

Whether your trip is for business or vacation, remember that you should have some time for yourself every day. Why not dedicate that time to improving your health and making yourself feel better?

Nutrition Road Tips

Always drink plenty of water, particularly if you’re flying.

Conjure up a healthy meal in your mind prior to entering a restaurant, and stick to your plan as closely as possible.

Try to eat at least three times per day to keep you from feeling famished and overindulging at any one time.

Pick up portable, healthy snacks at a local market so you won’t be caught hungry in front of the mini-bar.

Go ahead and splurge on regional dishes or local cuisine, but balance your diet by choosing lower-calorie foods at other meals.

Additional Resources

Schlosberg, S. (2002). Fitness for Travelers: The Ultimate Workout Guide for the Road. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books. Available at www.acefitness.org.

About.com: www.exercise.about.com/cs/fittingitin/a/ontheroadex.htm

Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

• Try this great alternate to the turkeys and ham!
• 
  
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 pork tenderloins (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total), trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Get the how to from foodnetwork.com

Weekend Challenge

Tabata Squats
20 seconds to do as many good squats as you are able
10 second rest
8 rounds

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Many of us are motivated to work out and participate in boot camps to "stay healthy" but rarely do we think about what that means or what we're actually doing for our bodies beyond the physical look of them.  Read this article from Emory University's Tiffany Barrett to find out how you're reducing your risk of cancer when you're out yelling "hooah!"

33% of All U.S. Cancer Deaths Linked to Diet & Exercise

Studies consistently show that a good diet and regular exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease, but did you know you can also reduce your risk of cancer by eating well and regularly exercising? Our genes play a large role in whether we develop cancer (some cancer types more than others), but studies show, and our experts at the Winship Cancer Institute confirm, we can take action to lower our risk of developing many cancer types. By avoiding tobacco products, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and staying active, you can dramatically reduce your risk of dying from cancer.

I hosted an online chat on the topic of healthy eating during the holidays this week, and in it we covered lots of topics related to nutrition, health, exercise and wellness. Below are some of the most important takeaways from the chat for you to apply not just during the holidays, but year round!

Exercise: 

• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. We may tire of hearing it, but maintaining a healthy body weight is essential to your health.
• As many as 1 out of 5 of all cancer-related deaths are linked to excessive body weight. Obesity is clearly linked with increase in several types of cancer, including breast, colon and rectum, edometrial, esophageal, kidney and pancreatic cancer.
• Regular physical activity is critical to your health and wellness. Physical activity can help reduce the risk of breast, colon, endometrial and prostate cancers.

• Adults should try to exercise for either 75 minutes per week at high intensity, or at least 150 minutes at moderate intensity each week. The latter equates to just two and a half hours of walking.
• Children should exercise one hour each day at moderate intensity, but 3 days a week at high intensity, and limit sedentary activities such as sitting, lying down, playing video games, watching TV, etc.

Nutrition:

Maintain healthy eating habits by emphasizing consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As I mentioned in the chat, all fruits and vegetables have protective and preventive cancer benefits. Here are some guidelines to consider when it comes to nutrition:

Continue reading . . .

Granola Clusters

With the craziness of the holidays-or any busy period-it can be more challenging to stay on track with our eating.  Try whipping up a batch of these Granola Clusters from multiplyDelicious.com for some on the go snacking or even a gift.

from multiplydelicious.com

1 cup rolled oats (I used gluten-free oats)

1 cup quinoa flakes

1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)

1/4 cup dried blueberries (or cranberries)

1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Get the how to at multiplyDelicious.com 

Weekend Challenge

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Burpees
Sit ups

Running in Reverse

If you've ever been to one of our sessions, it's quite likely you have spent some time back pedaling.  Check out this article from the nytimes online to find out some of its benefits.

By Gretchen Reynolds.  This column appears in the Dec. 9 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

Backward running, also known as reverse or retro running, is not as celebrated as barefoot running and will never be mistaken for the natural way to run. But a small body of science suggests that backward running enables people to avoid or recover from common injuries, burn extra calories, sharpen balance and, not least, mix up their daily routine.

The technique is simple enough. Most of us have done it, at least in a modified, abbreviated form, and probably recently, perhaps hopping back from a curb as a bus went by or pushing away from the oven with a roasting pan in both hands. But training with backward running is different. Biomechanically, it is forward motion’s doppelgänger. In a study published last year, biomechanics researchers at the University of Milan in Italy had a group of runners stride forward and backward at a steady pace along a track equipped with force sensors and cameras.

They found that, as expected, the runners struck the ground near the back of their feet when going forward and rolled onto the front of their feet for takeoff. When they went backward though, they landed near the front of their feet and took off from the heels. They tended to lean slightly forward even when running backward. As a result, their muscles fired differently. In forward running, the muscles and tendons were pulled taut during landing and responded by coiling, a process that creates elastic energy (think rubber bands) that is then released during toe-off. When running backward, muscles and tendons were coiled during landing and stretched at takeoff. The backward runners’ legs didn’t benefit from stored elastic energy. In fact, the researchers found, running backward required nearly 30 percent more energy than running forward at the same speed. But backward running also produced far less hard pounding.  Keep Reading . . . 

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

After having shredded brussels as my chosen side for lunch I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed them.  I've always been a fan but shredding them really rocked my world.  Check out the recipe below from allrecipes.com to make your own version.

1/4 lb sliced bacon
2 TBS butter
1/3 c pine nuts
1 lb brussels sprouts, cored & shredded
1-1/2 green onions, minced
1/4 tsp seasoning salt
pepper to taste

Get the how to HERE.