Exercise and Enjoy Colorado!

Even though the warm Colorado days are mixed in with snowstorms, it does mean that spring, summer and outdoor activities are on the way. While hitting the gym is great for your daily workouts, mixing things up with outdoor activities can making burning those calories even more fun! Hiking is a great form of exercise - it burns calories and relieves stress. To increase the intensity of your hike, try running intervals when you go up the steep parts. Bring a water bottle, pack a lunch and make a whole day of it.

We are so lucky to live in a state, where you don't have to go too far to enjoy a beautiful hike. Check out this link to find some good old Colorado hikes. The search feature is great, allowing you to choose the length, difficulty and proximity to Denver of the hike.

http://www.go-colorado.com/Hiking

Rut Busters

Significant weight loss doesn't just happen overnight. It takes time, effort and commitment. Keeping it off can be even harder, especially if you begin to experience weight loss burnout. We all face this in our weight loss quest. Even contestants from the Biggest Loser face temptations that lure them away from their healthy habits. Here are some rut busterss and solutions from Meghan Rabbitt of 24 Hour Fitness:

You get down when the scale stalls. Not seeing all-time lows when you weight yourself can derail anyone's progress. "As you get closer to your goal weight, the pounds will start coming off more slowly - and it can make you feel like you've lost momentum," says Jenn Burke, fitness manager at teh Chesterfield Sport 24 Hour Fitness in Missouri.
The Solution: Quit the scale and pull out a measuring tape. If you're still getting a good mix of cardio and strength training, you're likely still losing inches - even if your weight isn't budging, says Burke. And proof of that whittling waistline will help keep you motivated!

You get out of 'diet' mode. Once you're in your skinny jeans, you many be more likely to hit the buffet with abandon. "When you've reached your goal, it's easier to lose awareness of how many calories are in certain foods," says Janel Bilal, a training at the College Grove Magic Johnson Sport in Carson, California.
The Solution: Induldge - but make up for it with a workout. When Ali Vincent, Biggest Loser season six winner, gives in to temptation, she makes it a point to sweat off those extra calories. "It's a choice," says Vincent. "Either you make the choice to have the chocolate cake and work out more, or you eat the cake, do nothing and gain weight."

You hit a dreaded plateau and lose your mojo. Months of doing the same cardio and weights circuit may have worked wonders for a while, but eventually, your muscle fibers master those movements and don't need as much energy to do them (meaning: your body stos ravaging for extra calories to complete the task). The result? You get frustrated that your go-to routine isn't working anymore.
The Solution: Mix things up. To give your body the stimulus it needs, try something you've never done before. Sign up for a 5K race if you usually use the elliptical, or use free weights if you're always on the weight machines. Even better: try a team sport, like volleyball or indoor soccer, to work your muscles in ways that are hard to mimic at the gym.

Eat This, Not That

Chilis

• Eat This: Classic Chicken Fajitas; 370 calories; 11 grams of fat
• Not That: Crispy Sweet Chili Glazed Chicken Crispers; 1930 calories; 112 grams of fat - this meal has the calorie equivalent of eating an entire medium 12-inch Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza!
• Don't Even Think About: the Awesome Blossom; 2710 calories; 203 grams of fat; 194 carbohydrates.

Panda Express

• Eat This: Broccoli Beef with Mushroom Chicken and Mixed Veggies; 350 calories; 17 grams of fat
• Not That: Kung Pao Chicken with BBQ Pork and Steamed Rice; 1060 calories; 40.5 grams of fat
• Little Trick: Skip rice and noodles entirely. Even the basic steamed rice has 380 calories and 81 grams of carbohydrates.

Healthy Dessert? It's possible!

Honeyed Yogurt and Blueberry Tart with Ginger Crust

Ingredients 10 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg white
2 cups Greek-style nonfat yogurt, grained overnight
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups blueberries (9 ounces)

Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 14 by 4 1/2 inch rectangular fulted tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the crystalized ginger, sugar and salt until finely ground. Add the butter and egg white and pulse until the crumbs are evenly coated. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Let the crust cool completely.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the drained yogurt with the honey. Spread the yogurt in the crust and arrange the blueberries over the surfacea of the yogurt. Cut the tart in slices and serve.

One Serving - 134 calories, 5 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber.

78 Ways to Cut 100 Calories

Check out this article from Women's Health Magazine regarding simple ways that you can cut 100 calories from your daily diet throughout the day. Here are a couple examples:

• Breakfast - ditch the pop-tart for a slice of high fiber toast with strawberry jam.
• Lunch - pass up croutons from the salad bar.
• Happy Hour - nurse a single glass of wine instead of downing two beers.
• On your snack break - Lay off the Lay's Classic Potato Chips and have a handful of Rold Gold pretzels instead.
• Dessert - Stop eating when you hit the crust. The edges and bottoms of baked goods are especially caloric because they absorb the butter used to grease the pan.
• In the kitchen - use chicken broth (low-sodium is best) rather than oil to saute meat and veggies.
• At the drive-thru - Go for grill marks. Order a flame-broiled chicken sandwich rather than one that's breaded (and usually fried in oil).
• When you're not cooking - request the lemon chicken with white rice, not fried.

New lifestyle – new vocabulary

Quinoa – a healthy crop that was commonly grown by American Indians in pre-Columbian time. It is rich in protein and amino acids and is also a good source of fiber, magnesium and iron. It is gluten free and easy to digest. Ways to enjoy: cook like rice for a healthy side dish, use as a bread substitute in meatloaf, get quinoa noodles in your local grocery store.

Low-impact sport or exercise – any physical sport with minimal wear and trauma to weight-bearing joints, especially of the foot, knee, hip. If you are not big on exercising, have an injury or condition that might contribute to an injury or if you are recovering from a surgery, low-impact is a way to go. Swimming, bicycling, rowing, yoga, working out on a treadmill are all low-impact ways to burn the calories and stay in shape.

Omega-3 fatty acids – this is not a name for a space station, but an important nutrient that promotes healthy heart and brain function and is present in such common products as fish, kiwi, flax seed oil, and sadly forgotten lingonberry.

Pedometer – detects each motion of your hips and counts your steps. This device could help you to become more aware of how much you actually move in your regular day. And it can be found in any pharmacy. Depending on a model, prices range from $2 to $25.

Partially hydrogenated oil – evil ingredient that might be hiding in your favorite baked goods. Partially hydrogenated oil contributes to higher amounts of trans fats, which in turn are responsible for raising your bad cholesterol and lowering your good cholesterol. Ultimately, partially hydrogenated oils increase risk of heart desease. If the packaging says “Zero trans fat”, it might be most likely per serving. So, make sure to screen ingredients for any presence of partially hydrogenated oils before making your choice. At the end, you can always eat just recommended serving and be save.

Crash dieting – any diet where one deprives himself of basic nutrition. Although it can bring quick weight loss, your body would be exhausted and you might literally crash. It is important to keep your body hydrated and supplied with valuable elements that help you fight decease, stay energetic and well-spirited. - posted by Natalia T.

Eat This, Not That

Subway

• Eat This: 6-inch Double Roast Beef Sub; 360 calories; 7 grams of fat
• Not That: 6-inch Tuna Sub; 530 calories; 31 grams of fat
• Did you know? A recent study found that subjects ate 350 calories more at Subway than they did at McDonalds. Researchers call it the "health halo" - the tendency for diners to overeat when they believe they're eating at a healthy restaurant.

Panera Bread

• Eat This: BBQ Chicken Crispani; 380 calories; 15 grams of fat
• Not That: Sierra Turkey Sandwich; 840 calories; 40 grams of fat
• Don't Even Think About: Italian Combo Sandwich; 1100 calories; 56 grams of fat.

Always Wanting More?

If you find yourself having a hard time resisting the siren call of the kitchen or a second trip through the High Plains cafeteria line when you know you are not hungry, try using a delay/distraction technique. If you get the urge to nibble when you know you are not hungry, wait 10 minutes. Drink water, pick up a magazine, check-email. It's not easy at first, but the idea is to drive a wedge between your emotional feeling and its habitual response. More times than not, after that 10 minutes, you won't even want that extra serving of french fries.

Start Walking ~ Denver

You shouldn't need an excuse to get up and start walking, but if you need some extra motivation.....

Take an important step towards a healthier you! Grab your friends, family, and co-workers and join the American Heart Association on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at Skyline Park on 17th and Arapahoe, in Downtown Denver for a mid-day rally and one-mile walk in the fight against heart disease and stroke. This is a day that adults nationwide can make the pledge to Start! walking and to become active and heart healthy. This year, the American Heart Association has partnered with the Downtown Denver Partnership to create a permanent Start! Walking Path in Downtown Denver. The path stretches from Larimer Street to California, passes by the Convention Center, parts of the 16th Street Mall, and begins and ends at Skyline Park. Come downtown on April 8th and Start! Walking! Celebration Rally begins at Noon followed by the inaugural walking on the new Downtown Denver Start! Walking Path!

Physical inactivity is a huge problem nationally and locally. Seventy percent of Americans don't get enough exercise. Start! is an exciting national physical activity campaign that encourages all Americans to live longer and healthier by making walking part of their daily lives. Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity, and yet it is the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health. Studies show that adults may gain as many as two hours of life expectancy for each hour of regular, vigorous exercise.

For more information, visit the website: www.heart.org/start.

Posted by H2O Member: Travel Lite

Eat This, Not That

Krispy Kreme

• Eat This: Whole wheat glazed donut; 180 calories; 11 grams of fat; 10 grams of sugars.
• Not That: Glazed blueberry cake donut; 330 calories; 17 grams of fat; 28 grams of sugars.
• Don't Even Think About: 20oz Chocolate, Chocloate Chiller; 1050 calories; 42 grams of fat; 100 grams of sugars.

Wendy's

• Eat This: Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich with side salad and reduced fat creamy ranch and medium iced tea; 650 calories; 44 grams of fat.
• Not That: Roasted turkey and Swiss Frescata with medium fries and medium Coke; 1110 calories; 40 grams of fat.

The Ten Best Foods for Your Heart

Heart disease is often silent, hits without warning and kills an American every 26 seconds. A heart healthy diet can reduce your LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 30% - a similar drop to what you get by taking heart medication. These foods are dietary magic bullets: they lower LDL cholesterol, raise "good" HDL cholesterol, and best of all, they don't require a prescription!

1. Nuts
2. Fish
3. Oats
4. Avocados
5. Black Beans
6. Flaxseed
7. Green Tea
8. Watermelon
9. Spinach
10. Red Wine

Digital Food Journal

Show your friends what you ate over the weekend!

Although writing down each little thing you eat and drink can be taxing, it is proven to help with weight loss. When you know that you have to write down each potato chip, cocktail, coffee and cookie that you eat or drink, it's easier to just say no. But if keeping a food journal isn't your style, try keeping a digital food journal. Using your cell phone or digital camera take a pic of all your meals and snacks. Try it for a day or a weekend and then show your healthy eating photos to the members of your H2O team!

(you didn't have this, did you?)

Eat This, Not That

Pizza

• Eat This - 2 slices of Domino's large (thin crust) cheese pizza - which has 360 calories and 19 grams of fat.
• Not That - 2 slices of Pizza Hut large (thick crust) cheese pizza - which has 560 calories and 24 grams of fat.

Beer

• Eat This - Guiness Draught - which has 126 calories and 10 grams of carbs.
• Not That - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - which has 175 calories and 14 grams of carbs.

Cheeseburger

• Eat This - McDonalds Big Mac - which has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat.
• Not That - Burger King Whopper - which has 760 calories and 47 grams of fat.

Order Smarter at Your Favorite Coffee Shop

If you're the type of person that can't start their morning without a daily run to Starbucks, there's hope for you yet. Here are three surprising steps to ordering better the next time you're in line:

1. Make it a Cappuccino. A cappuccino is the better choice when compared to a latte. It has more foam than milk, so it ends up with fewer calories per fluid ounce. Here's proof: a tall non-fat cappucino has 60 calories; a tall non-fat latte has 100 calories.

2. Nix the Venti. Tempted to orded a venti (20 ounce) cappuccino to get more caffeine? You'll also get almost double t he calories. Instead, order a tall (12 ounce) cappuccino with two shots of espresso (the same amount you would get from a venti).


3. Go Fat-Free. This is a no-brainer in terms of your diet, but here's a new reason to go skim: it actually foams better than 2 percent or whole milk. Why? Since it countains less fat, the bubbles don't get weighed down as much as with regular milk.