Get Fit For 2010 Healthy Snack Idea: Cinnamon Apples

We’re up to week 10 of the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway and this week’s challenge is to share your favorite healthy snack . Here’s a tasty one submitted by garlandofroses that’s sure to satisfy your sweet cravings. I am so grateful that my family owns an orchard - I love apples so much! I usually just like to bite into apples, but sometimes I would cut them up and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on them or toss them in a fruit salad. Here is a photo I took of one of our apples. Mmm, so simple, yet so delicious. Tell me about your favorite healthy snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you’ll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize .

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Get Fit For 2010 Healthy Snack Idea: Cinnamon Apples

Avoid These Bad Habits For Your Chompers

I know dental care isn’t the most exciting topic, but healthy teeth are important and make for a lovely smile. Speaking of lovely smiles, remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts announces that “you shouldn’t neglect your gums”? With that said, let’s review some common bad dental habits that can lead to health issues like gingivitis. And since nobody likes getting that disappointing look from her dentist, make the doctor proud by avoiding these habits. Brushing too hard or using a firm-bristled toothbrush. We all want to get that plaque off our teeth, but jamming your toothbrush back and forth with extreme intensity can permanently (as in forever) wear away the protective enamel on your teeth. It could also lead to increased tooth sensitivity and receding gums, the latter of which could require surgery. Ouch! Brushing side to side. I was a big horizontal brusher for years, and it was hard work to break this habit, but circular motions are the best way to clean your teeth gently yet effectively. Not brushing long enough. Two to three minutes is recommended. Not flossing daily or ever. Sorry to say, but a toothbrush only cleans the surfaces of your teeth. Using floss is the only way to clean in between your teeth, so if you don’t do it daily, plaque can form and cause cavities. Using your teeth as tools . While your sharp incisors can help you rip open a package of trail mix, you’re asking for trouble. This is a sure way to chip or crack your teeth or damage fillings. What other bad habits are ruining your teeth and gums? To find out read more. Not using a fluoride rinse . Clinical studies show that by using both a fluoride mouthwash and a fluoride toothpaste, you can provide extra protection against tooth decay more than if you use fluoride toothpaste on its own. Not seeing the dentist regularly . OK, so going to the dentist isn’t as fun as going out for ice cream, but if you don’t get your teeth cleaned and checked professionally twice a year, you’re bound to end up with some serious and painful dental problems, like a root canal , that could have you sitting in the chair for hours. Choosing white wine . While red wine can lead to staining, the acidity in white wine wears away tooth enamel. It’s time to vent. What unhealthy habits are you guilty of when it comes to your teeth?

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Avoid These Bad Habits For Your Chompers

Healthy Dessert: Baked Pears With Maple Greek Yogurt and Granola

Spring is coming soon, but for many of us, we still have some cold nights ahead of us. This time of year I always try to make my favorite cold weather foods like soups, breads, and warm treats before Spring officially blows in. Here’s one my family loves that’s easy to make, tastes oh-so decadent, but is a great source of fiber and protein. Make it to enjoy for breakfast or an after-dinner dessert. Check out this simple recipe when you read more. Baked Pears with Maple Greek Yogurt and Granola Modified from recipe found in Snack Attack Group Ingredients 2 firm pears (Bartlett or Anjou) 1/2 cup apple juice 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon honey 16 ounce container plain Greek yogurt 4 tablespoons maple syrup 1/2 cup granola 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts Directions Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the pears in half lengthwise, and remove cores with a spoon. Place in an 8×8-inch baking pan, cut-sides down. Pour apple juice and water over pears, and drizzle with honey. Cover pan loosely with foil and bake about 35 minutes or until tender. When pears are done, pour the leftover baking liquid into a small saucepan and reduce over medium heat until about 1/4 cup of syrup remains; set aside to cool. Open the container of Greek yogurt and stir in the maple syrup. Divide yogurt into four bowls. Place a half of the warm pear in each bowl, cut side up. Top with granola and walnuts, and drizzle with syrup you set aside. Makes four servings. Print recipe with images | without images I also like serving this dish for brunch. If you have a tasty and healthy recipe to share, post it in the Healthy Recipe Group . I am always looking for new ones to try.

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Healthy Dessert: Baked Pears With Maple Greek Yogurt and Granola

Another Reason Not to Eat Junk: Pringles Recall

As if junk food wasn’t bad enough because of the high calorie content and unpronounceable ingredients, here’s another reason to avoid it. Procter & Gamble has announced the recall of two flavors of Pringles : Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger and Family Faves Taco Night. The culprit is the widely used flavor enhancer hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) made by Basic Food Flavors, Inc. Investigators found dirty equipment and poor drainage at the Las Vegas plant and smelly, standing pools of liquid where the HVP was made. What’s even worse - the liquid tested positive for salmonella. Um . . . eww. Pringles isn’t the only food to worry about . Hot dogs, chili, stews, gravies, sauces, soups, salad dressings, and other snack foods also contain HVP made from this company. For a full list of products contained in this recall, check out FoodSafety.gov . Will you be tossing anything from your kitchen cabinets?

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Another Reason Not to Eat Junk: Pringles Recall

[Forum] Concerned My Mom Has An Eating Disorder

Hi My mom has been restricting for a while and she spends a lot of time in the bathroom after dinner. she has been acting strangely: always wanting the family to leave the house so she can “clean” but when we get home sometimes we find her holding food and has food all over her face and then when i go to make my lunch i notice all of the cookies and other treats are mysteriously gone. i dont really know what is going on. how can i help her? any answers…???

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[Forum] Concerned My Mom Has An Eating Disorder

[Forum] Need Help With Motivation and Self-control

I’m 21 years old and I know weigh 210 pounds and am 5′6. Pretty much my whole life I thought I was fat. My mom had an eating disorder for many years and she’s obsessed with working out and eating the bare minimum now. My dad has struggled a little with weight but he’s a very busy business man and can’t find the time to always go to the gym. Nobody in my family is obese, weight has never been a huge issue. My parents always told me I needed to workout, so therefore I always thought I was big. I didn’t choose the best foods to eat when I was young, but I never over ate. I was active in basketball and baseball, then P.E. in jr.high. Then during and after high school I started to party, and stopped doing sports, etc. I still was not fat. Looking back at pictures during that time, makes me so sad. I went to hawaii about 3 years ago with my family and I was so miserable there bcuz I felt like I had never been this fat and I didnt want to walk around in a bathing suit. I look at those pictures now and I kick myself big time for not flaunting what I had bcuz I had a good body, no one ever told me. So throughout the years, I kept gradually gaining weight. I’ve developed a habit of craving food at night time. I’ve turned into a closet eater. I will go buy snacks and then hide them in my room until everyone goes to bed, then I bring them out and eat them. I don’t eat in excess in front of my family. I feel too embarrassed. I was in a bad emotionally abuse relationship from summer 2007 until pretty recently and that, according to my mom, is when I really started putting on weight. He made me feel like he could have any girl he wants, that he didn’t need me. He had a way of yelling and making me feel so ugly and worthless. But I never left. He was an alcoholic and I felt the want and need to be there to try and help him. I know it wasn’t my position and you can’t help someone that doesn’t want to help themselves. I wanted to be the first girl in his life to actually make a difference. As the months passed, the fights progressed. He eventually started breaking things in the house (we lived together), he called me every bad name in the book, and then he started calling me fat. That was the killer for me. ANYTHING but that. I started feeling so ashamed of myself, embarassed to ever eat infront of him. I feel like I started putting on the pounds when I was with him because he beat my self esteem down so bad that I had a whole in my heart and my head. I think I turned to food because I’m not interested in drinking (my mom is also has an alcohol problem, so it turns me off), I want nothing to do with drugs, and what else is there? I didn’t know what to do for comfort or for an escape. I suppose food did that for me. Now days, I struggle to go to the gym. I’m a member at the women only gym, Curves. Its an absolutely great program and you really have no excuse to not go. This is my 3rd time signing up, I’ve quit every other time. I usually have a good 2 weeks of eating smaller portions and better foods, drinking 4 bottles of water a day, then something always happens or a switch goes off in my brain and I stop all of it. And that is what I do NOT understand what so ever. I know that I need to lose weight, I know what I need to do, WHY can’t I do it? I wanted to tell my whole story on here just so everyone could get a better perspective about my life and issues. I’ve never told anyone my weight or my life, so I thought maybe this could turn into a positive thing. I would love to get advice on how to help myself, motivate myself, anything at all. Thank you very much for reading

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[Forum] Need Help With Motivation and Self-control

Get Fit For 2010: Whole Wheat French Loaves

This week’s challenge in our Get Fit For 2010 giveaway is to share a healthy recipe. Check out this whole wheat bread recipe, posted by FitSugar Community member garlandofroses . To see the recipe read more. Whole Wheat French Loaves February/March 2010 issue of Taste of Home We had this along side some fish on Sunday.  It was really good!!  My sister made it for my family.   Ingredients 2 Tbsp. active dry yeast 2 cups warm water (110F to 115F) 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour (she added two cups of whole wheat flour to the dough and 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten.) 1 tsp. cornmeal Directions In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; kneed until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12-inch-long loaves. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes two loaves. Serving size: about 8. Print recipe with images | without images Have a healthy recipe you would like to share? Join our Get Fit For 2010 community group and contest and share your recipe . By participating, you’ll be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as an awesome grand prize .

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Get Fit For 2010: Whole Wheat French Loaves

Olympian Dies During Luge Training Run

I am completely stunned and incredibly saddened to write that Olympic athlete representing the Republic of Georgia Nodar Kumaritashvili , 21, died after crashing during a training run on the luge course in Vancouver earlier today. Here are details on the crash from the NBC Olympics website: Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled near the finish Friday, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center . . . Rescue officials rushed to the scene and were performing chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Kumaritashvili was lifted into an ambulance. An air-rescue helicopter was summoned and was over the track about eight minutes after the crash. The controversial Olympic luge track is considered the fastest in the world, and after a number of crashes during practice runs, many athletes have questioned the safety of the course. With many sledders topping 90 miles per hour on the course, it is still unclear how fast Kumaritashvili was going at the time of his crash. Training on the course has been suspended, and a meeting has been called by the International Luge Federation and “team captains from each nation were asked to attend” the briefing. Our hearts go out to the Kumaritashvili family and his teammates.

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Olympian Dies During Luge Training Run

Kids Who Choose Their Veggies Won’t Necessarily Eat More

YouTube: TrekTredHead I’m not a parent, but I want to hit a kid now! I guess children really are allergic to vegetables. Its cliché, the family sits down for dinner, mom fills Junior’s plate, and he eats everything else, but pushes his broccoli around. What if it were carrots instead? Maybe then he’d eat it. How about giving your kid a choice, let them pick their vegetable, would that help? Continue reading…

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Kids Who Choose Their Veggies Won’t Necessarily Eat More

[Forum] Why Do I Want to Lose Weight?

I want to lose weight because I want to have a body I can show off in front of my date and be proud of! I want to go to the beach and not be the only one with my shirt on. I want to go out and play sports at the park and not worry about being on skins or tees. I want to be able to pick out the clothes I want to wear because I like the way they look, not because of the way they fit. - That was me in December of 2000. I am now in my 10th year of maintaining my healthy body. Losing weight has its share of challenges. There are psychological, emotional, physical, and life challenges involved with eating right and staying on a structured program. This is why motivation plays such an important role in your success. What motivates you? Of course, having friends and family that support you is great. Working with experts is also nice too. However, the best and most powerful motivation comes from inside of you. The motivation is your PURPOSE. By having a strong purpose and an even stronger resolve, you will fortify your will power and engage the sections of your thinking that will help guide your decisions to achieve that goal! You will become unstoppable. Five years into maintaining my goal, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. It runs rampant in my family on my Dad’s side so, I kind of expected it eventually. I now have an even stronger goal yet because I know the painful and deadly consequences of not maintaining my blood sugar properly. Now it’s your turn: Write down what your goal is and WHY! Try to create as many WHY reasons you can think of. Write a new one each day and write a whole paragraph about it. Visualize yourself at that goal and feel all of the emotions that result from it. Every time you have a temptation or feel discouraged, visualize the great feelings you will get from compliments, knowing you made it, buying any outfit you want (because you make any outfit look good), having tons of energy, all of it! You need to FEEL the difference. Keep a journal of how good you feel at your goal and, in a short time, your brain won’t be able to talk you out of succeeding ever again! I hope this helps you as much as it helped me!

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[Forum] Why Do I Want to Lose Weight?

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