I love couscous, it is one of my favorite fun foods to eat. Serve it with any protein for a well-balanced meal. You can have it for lunch, dinner or snack.

1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup onion
1/2 cup diced carrot, turnip, zucchini and tomatoes
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked couscous
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and saute onions.
2. Stir in all ingredients and cook 5 minutes.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Remove from heat and add couscous until all liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender.
5. Perfect side for any meal. I like to add a little low fat Parmesan cheese on top.

Health Benefits:
Low in saturated fat, low in calories, low in cholesterol, low in sodium, couscous is an excellent choice for complex carbohydrates. It is a good source of protein, although I recommend eating it with an additional protein. It is easily digestible, especially when prepared with the carrots, turnips, zucchini and tomatoes, which contain antioxidants to help fight cancer-causing free radicals.

Fitting a workout program into a hectic schedule can prove difficult. Usually starting a workout program means rearranging your daily calendar for it; this leaves most people confused and befuddled. Even though that everybody agrees that exercise should be a regular thing, lack of time and the fast pace time we live in can make [...]

The Glycemic Index diet (or G.I. diet for short) is your best ally if you’re looking to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life. In fact, most of popular diets out there are based on the glycemic index diet. Its premise is simple and straightforward: Foods with high G.I. rankings have [...]

Refreshing and sweet, watermelon is a wonderful fruit, especially on a warm summer day. Low in calories but very flavorful, this fruit can satisfy your sugar craving while quenching your thirst. An especially healthy fruit, watermelon reduces inflammation and is one of the healthier fruits for diabetics because of this.

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C. It contains the antioxidant, lycopene to help combat free radicals that cause all sorts of cancer including those of the skin, pancreas, cervix and breast.

Watermelon contains beta-carotene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and even helps to relieve complications of asthma.

Watermelon is rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production. It is also a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, and potassium. Because of its high water content, it delivers more nutrients per calorie.

To choose the best tasting watermelon, examine the color of the fruit. It should be a deep color and not have any white streaks. If looking at a cut melon, the seeds should be a deep color.
Watermelon can be eaten any time you can find it in your grocer’s produce aisle. It is excellent as a side dish or mixed into a salad. You can cut it into cubes and refrigerate for a refreshing snack.
Watermelon mixed with thinly sliced red onion, salt and black pepper makes a great summer salad. Because the watermelon contains so much water, there is no need for a dressing, making this salad the perfect low calorie, low fat treat.
Watermelon, bananas, apple slices and orange slices make a wonderful fruit salad that contains a wealth of vitamins and nutrients And fruit salad can be made days ahead since cut fruit, if chilled, retains its nutrients for at least 6 days.

Many women find themselves going to the grocery store with full intentions of buying healthy foods, only to come home with bags of cookies, potato chips, butter, fats and cheese? It can be difficult to change the way that you shop for your weekly foods to match you healthy diet plans.

Especially if this is the first time that you have filled your pantry with healthy foods, you may need a course in Grocery Shopping 101 in order to beat back the temptations that food manufacturers have strategically placed in your path. {+}

Before leaving home, make a grocery list. But before you make a grocery list, make the upcoming week’s meal plan. Developing your meal plan doesn’t have to be difficult, but consider some of the foods that are already in your cupboard to make things easier and less expensive. Once you’ve got your meals planned out for the week, inventory the ingredients that you will need for each dish and notate the ones that you will need to purchase. After you have established what you need, make the grocery list, and list the food in order of the grocery store layout. This way you won’t go haphazardly down aisles that you don’t need to search.

Try to avoid the aisles with cookies and processed foods, such as sugary cereals. Many of these aisles are in the center of the grocery store, with the fresh items at each end of the store. Look for whole grains near the rice and pasta. Read labels to look for 100% whole-wheat to be sure you are getting whole grain products. Take some time to find the healthier foods rather than going straight for your old reliables.

Fresh vegetables and fruits should make up the largest part of your grocery list. I recommend that you eat at least seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Choose seasonal produce and get a variety, especially if you are feeding a family.

Proteins and meats should consist of mostly fish, poultry and lean meats. Eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes should be part of your list.

Beverages should be kept simple. Water, low-fat milk, juices and herbal teas are all good choices. If you opt for soft drinks, choose diet sodas and soft drinks to avoid extra sugar.

Choose low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese. Try soymilk or rice-milk for tasty alternatives to whole milk. Don’t forget, many fruits and vegetables are good sources of calcium like avocadoes for instance.

Take caution when buying dressings, cooking oils and condiments. They can be sneaky sources of refined sugars and high in fat and calories. Read labels to choose dressings made with healthy oils such as olive oil and canola oil.

Frozen vegetables are convenient and nutritious. If you are cooking for one, there are many single-serving frozen entrees that cook up in minutes. These make it easy to have a variety of vegetables, without having to throw any of it away. If you do have more than you can consume, consider saving your left over veggies to add to a soup for another meal.

Canned foods and foods in jars are very convenient. Make sure the soups and veggies that you choose are low in sodium. Avoid high-fat gravy and sauces like spaghetti and ravioli dishes.

Peanut butter sandwiches can be very healthy. Look for homemade peanut butter without added sugar.

Low-fat meats such as turkey slices, chicken or lean roast beef are better choices for sandwiches than processed lunchmeat.

Learn to Read the Food Labels
Every box of processed food includes a food label. Other foods include them too, but all processed foods are required to list the ingredients and the percentage of nutrition as compared to the RDA (Recommended Daily Requirement).

Looking at the food label above, you’ll notice the nutrition facts. Each serving size is described,
as one serving and the box contains six servings. There are 100 calories in each serving. Calories from fat are 30 calories, which is less than a third of the total calories in each serving.

Next we get the skinny on the fat content. Three grams of total fat with 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of monounsaturated fat. This represents 8% of the recommended daily value. According to the food label, there are no trans fat and no cholesterol in this snack.

There is 120 mg of sodium in each serving, which makes up 5% of the daily requirements. Likewise the total carbohydrates are 16 grams, making it 5% of the daily requirements. 6 grams of sugar and 1 gram of protein is included in each serving.

There are no significant traces of Vitamins A or C but each snack offers 4% of the daily-recommended amounts of iron.

According to this label, the Percent of Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on the amount of calories you consume in a day.

Quick Tips For Every Day Shopping
• Never go to the grocery store when you are hungry.
• Always eat a meal or light snack before heading to the store.
• Keep a cold bottle of water in your car, so you won’t be tempted to opt for a high calorie drink when you are thirsty.
• Bring a pen and check off everything on your grocery list.
• Forego the candy aisle and buy some scented candles or new kitchen gadget instead.
• Park your car further out in the parking lot, for more exercise coming in and going out.
• Don’t eat in your car. Not only will this keep your car much cleaner, it will keep you from mindlessly eating while driving down the road. We have a tendency to forget about the calories, sugar and fat that we consume when driving.
• If you will be out and about all day, bring a small cooler and stock it with fruit cups, fresh fruit, water and juice. This will give you plenty of healthy snacks and you won’t be tempted to stop at the fast food hangout.

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Exercise science is an amazing thing and top athletes certainly are performing at higher levels than they ever have, the results prove it with world records being pushed continually. But what about us guys that aren’t professional athletes, has our health and fitness improved in the same fashion? Take a look at any of the [...]

The path to a fit and healthy body is not only achievable; it’s much easier than you can imagine. But it requires a secret ingredient that is such a critical component that without it, you will fail time and time again.

Perhaps you’ve tried diets and exercise before, only to find that they just didn’t work for you. Frustrated with this sense of failure, you may have given up and quit. Left with feelings of regret, you might even dread the thought of starting another program for fear that you will never succeed.

It’s time to throw off those feelings of defeat and embrace the winning spirit within you. If you are visiting this site and reading this blog, that’s proof positive that you have the desire to make a change in your life. That’s the way success begins…one little spark of curiosity, one thought, one idea and the desire to make it happen.

Are you feeling that spark today? Is there a slow fire burning inside you that’s begging you to make a change in your life? Are you ready to transform the way you look and feel?

It requires a commitment from you. That’s the secret ingredient to achieving your fit and healthy body. Making a promise to yourself and vowing to keep it, focusing on that commitment everyday will make your journey to success an easy one.

Now, I’m not discounting the challenges of exercising and staying on a diet. I know that this is easier for some people and more difficult for others. But I have also witnessed determined people lose 30 pounds while others who were less committed struggled to lose 10 pounds in the same length of time. That is the power of this secret tool.

To help boost your level of commitment, start each day with affirmations of praise and appreciation for all that you have achieved. Speak positive words of encouragement and keep a journal of everything you eat, drink, and all of your daily activities. Make a list of your goals and allow yourself time to meditate on them. You will come away feeling refreshed and ready to take your life to a new level.

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Look around on a busy street or in a store, and you’ll probably see a few people whose spines are clearly not in “neutral,” or in a well-aligned position. This is an issue that those of us exercise field would love to help with. “Everywhere you look people are talking about the benefits of being able to achieve and maintain a neutral spine alignment” Pilates instructor and author Nuala Coombs says on her website. “It is important to maintain the neutral alignment of these curves to assist with cushioning the spine from excessive stress or strain.”

I agree. Walking through life without a neutral spine invites a host of physical ailments. Slumping on a regular basis can give a person’s back ligaments “creep.” “Creep” is the physiological term for the damaging deformation of the lower back tissues when someone leaves her lower back out of neutral for an extended period of time. And that’s just what happens to the back! Bad posture adversely affects the neck, hips, knees, ankles – just about every major joint in the body.

So should people exercise with their spine in neutral? Many exercise spokespeople say yes including Coombs. “Most exercise regimes,” she says, “and especially Pilates based exercise programmes encourage working with the spine in a neutral position.”

I’m with Coombs with regard to her point about exercise routines needing to be safe in order to protect students’ spines and their surrounding tissues. But should spines literally stay in neutral during exercise as Coombs suggests? In theory, this seems like a good idea. In practice, less so. First of all no core workout — least of all Pilates with all its rounding, arching, rotating and side-bending — actually keeps the spine in neutral. Second, back movement during exercise is a good thing. The spine has 24 joints and is designed for a certain amount of bending. Arching and contracting the back in a controlled manner is healthy and therapeutic for the spine’s discs and surrounding muscles.

Coombs nevertheless recommends that people hold their spines in neutral during exercise just the way they do in daily life, even to the extent of allowing their core muscles to be just barely “on” when working out. “The muscles of the core,” she says, “only need a mild contraction to become activated and function effectively…Once they are on you can confidently use the large muscles for the action phase of a movement now that you have stabilised the spine…”

Coombs is right about the core muscles needing simply to be “on” during normal activities. The problem with just keeping them merely “on” during exercise is that not much change results. To significantly strengthen muscles you have to work them harder than normal. Exercise can do this for core muscles and so improve their function outside of class. To this end the Bar Method has developed exercise positions that work the core muscles while at the same time keeping the back muscles in neutral. One such stance is “the Bar Method tuck.” To assume this pose, a student slightly lengthens her lower back and slightly shortens her upper back by lifting her chest. This position keeps the ligaments and joint capsules in her back in neutral, while her glutes, abs and upper back muscles – the three groups responsible for good alignment – grip tighter than usual, gaining strength.

“The Bar Method tuck” makes other important contributions to core stability: First, it stretches the long muscles that run through the hips and kness. As Physical Therapist Sydney James, one of the Bar Method’s consultants, explains, “It’s important to keep the quads and hamstrings reasonably flexible and balanced so that the lumbar spine isn’t overly jostled by walking, running and other motion.”

Second, it teaches students to hold themselves straight with their chests over their spines, a practice that helps correct habitual slouching. Bar Method students’ back muscles gain energy, and students themselves start to enjoy standing up straighter. Walk into a Bar Method studio and you’ll see lots of people with beautiful posture. One reason is “the Bar Method tuck.”

Last but not least, the Bar Method trains its teachers to give their students individual coaching on good posture throughout class. The Bar Method tuck – since it requires the use of all three core muscle groups – provides both teachers and students with the basic building blocks of good alignment in a way that is simple for everyone to follow. During bar-work when it’s especially important to focus on alignment, teachers search for students who look like they could use extra help on posture and encourage them to “lift your chest,” “keep your head over your spine,”“look straight ahead,” and if needed give them gentle “hands-on” adjustments to their form. 

Nora Luongo of Summit, New Jersey is one Bar Method student who has benefitted from this approach. “All the instructors at the Bar Method are so precise in their vocal directions and hands-on in their adjustments,” she wrote me, “that just a few months of doing it has really gotten to where it took me years of training in yoga to understand…. I find myself consciously standing straighter even when not in class.”