By | Cynthia Fox-Giddens

The new week has begun and looking over the to-do list with meetings, after-work functions and more, your exercise schedule might need a little adjustment. No need to forgo the hour or 30 minutes normally devoted to exercising when your schedule gets tight. Simply cutting down to 15 minutes of exercise is just as beneficial and still gives the muscles and body a good workout.

To make the most of those 15 minutes, target core areas like the arms, abs, and legs. Use dumbbells for 2-3 sets of biceps curls, shoulder raises, and kickbacks. Move on to the abs for sets of crunches using the exercise ball for greater results. Don’t forget the side bends that help diminish the “love handles.” The gluts will stay firm and shapely with squats and leg lifts that target those muscles.

Oh look, you have a few minutes left. Grab the jump rope and step out to the patio for some jumps that will help lower your blood pressure and ease stress. In just 15 minutes, you can work in some exercise moves on the busiest of days with work and other commitments.

By | Cynthia Fox-Giddens

The popularity of mix tapes has grown in the music industry and many online internet radio and music sites posts them for listeners to enjoy. The mix tapes as they are called is simply a playlist of a variety of music that can include any music genre from R&B, jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, rock, and country. Even First Lady Michelle Obama was reported to have her own workout mix tape that she listens to during her workouts.

The First Lady is an advocate for healthy eating and exercising especially for the younger kids as childhood obesity and Type II diabetes are on the rise. The First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign promotes more nutritious meals in schools and at home. Plus, the campaign encourages more play time outside instead of watching so much TV.

To give your workout an added boost, make your own mix tape with some favorites from your CD collection. Think about your routine and choose songs that fit those exercises such as upbeat music for cardio and strength training. The mix tape jams will have you tackling that steep incline with vigor while on your daily walk.

Add fast-paced jams from the Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson and Beyonce’ to boost the reps while doing sets of push-ups and lunges. The late, great Whitney Houston had plenty of upbeat songs that definitely should be on your workout mix tape.

Many people have added yoga moves to their exercise routines and what better music to have on the playlist than a smooth jazz track. Plus, a slower beat is perfect for the “cool down” part of any exercise routine. A workout mix tape will have you even more eager to hit the weights and take deep strides while walking.

By | Cynthia Fox-Giddens

It seems like that sluggish feeling while at work creeps in close to lunchtime and definitely in the midday afternoon around 3 p.m. Some healthy snacks that pack energy will give you the boost needed to stay focused. Skip the candy bar from the vending machine by bringing your own snacks like saltine crackers with peanut butter spread in between. Simply make them at home and pack in a baggie to store in the desk drawer. Check out some more healthy options after the break!

Also, a bag of trail mix that includes nuts, dried raisins, pretzel sticks, and a handful of your favorite morning cereal together is a healthy snack at work and on-the-go. Of course, fruit is super healthy especially bananas that pack a potassium punch.

It’s important to drink plenty of water to combat dehydration which causes sluggishness and fatigue. Stay healthy and hydrated!

Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt is the June 2013 cover girl for Women’s Running Magazine. Inside, “The Client List” star opens up about why fitness is so important to her life, criticism of her curvaceous figure, and more.

On the constant criticism of her curves:

“I do find that as a curvy girl, as I guess I’ve sort of been deemed, I don’t think you want to run your curves off, because then you’re just not yourself. But it definitely helps your butt, that’s for sure. It helps with the badonk-a-donk!”

On the pressures of her body:

“I’m an actress, I live in L.A., I work in Hollywood. But I’ve learned that if you’re too skinny, they’ll say something about it. If you’re not skinny enough, they’ll say something about it. I just try to feel good in my own skin as much as I can.”

Read more exceprts and see more flicks from her spread after the break!

On her workout routine:

“I do yoga, a little bit of Pilates and obviously running on an incline is great. So I try to go back and fourth between all those things.”

On when she took up running:

“My mom was a runner. I enjoy running, but she was a runner. She loved it and was able to go miles and miles and miles, you know, was crazy about it. The first I did a big run was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Los Angeles [in 2010]. It was a blast – I absolutely loved it. What you put your body through is incredible, how sore you are the next day is quite crazy. But the benefits of it, cardiovascular-wise, body-wise, toning-wise, all of that, there’s nothing really that gets you in shape like [a race].”

By Tasha Turnbull|Fitness Expert

Sweet potatoes are one of those awesome root vegetables containing vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and iron.  Since there are so many health benefits to eating sweet potatoes, we had to find another way to eat them outside of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  Hence, the creation of our sweet potato pancake recipe.  Serve this healthy dish up for Sunday breakfast or your next brunch.  It is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Serves 6

1 cup of whole-wheat flour

1 cup of coconut milk (we used So Delicious from the carton).  Note:  if you do not have coconut milk, you can use almond milk, soymilk, or skim milk.

1 medium sweet potato (cooked and mashed)

2 egg whites (beaten)

½ tsp vanilla

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 packets Stevia

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1)            In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients.  Add sweet potato, coconut milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Next, add brown sugar and stevia.  Stir well.

2)            In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Add whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix well.

3)            Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in medium bowl.

4)            Heat large skillet on medium heat and coat with cooking spray.

5)            Drop batter by ¼ cup full into skillet.  Cook for three minutes or until brown, and then turn over.  Cook for another two minutes.  Serve immediately with fruit syrup.

Fruit Syrup

2 cups of mixed berries (frozen or fresh)

3 packs of Stevia

1)      Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add berries and Stevia and bring to a boil.

2)      Once mixture reaches a boil, turn the heat on low until berries reach a syrup consistency.  Stir frequently.

3)      Pour over sweet potato pancakes immediately.

Calories

Serving Size:  2 pancakes with berry syrup.

Calories 149, Fat 1.3, Sodium 170 mg, Potassium 209mg, Carbohydrates 32gms, Sugars 12g, Fiber 3gms.

When you’re having a snack attack, sometimes it gets hard to choose a healthy snack.  You want something satisfying to cure your craving to get you over that 4 p.m. hump until dinner time.  You don’t have to  fight the urge to grab something salty, crunchy, sweet, or creamy anymore. With the help of cooking guru, Rachael Ray, here are 3 healthy snacks you can try.

SWEET

Puree frozen lemonade with loads of frozen charries.

SALTY

Chop hard-boiled egg seasoned with lemon, parsley and anchovies.

CRUNCHY

Thoroughly dry canned chickpeas. Spritz with extra-virgin olive oil, season with dried oregano and garlic salt and roast at 400° until crisp.

Source: Everyday With Rachael Ray Magazine

By Tasha Turnbull | Fitness Expert

We thoroughly enjoy something sweet in the morning to start off our day; however, we’re always looking for a treat that is packed with healthy ingredients as well.  So we decided to see how we could turn our oatmeal into a breakfast dessert.  Through trial and error, we came up with these Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Cookies!  There is no added butter or oil to this recipe, which makes these cookies very light and flavorful; the only oil comes from the peanut butter.  Furthermore, since we kept the ingredients to the same portions we typically use when preparing traditional oatmeal, the serving of these cookies could easily be for 1-2 people!  Enjoy these cookies the next time you have a couple of more minutes in the morning, as they only took us 15 minutes to mix and bake!

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of dry plain oatmeal

1/2 small ripe banana, mashed

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1-2 packets of Stevia (optional)

1 egg white

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp baking powder

Pinch of sea salt (optional)

1)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in small bowl.

2)      Place on cookie sheet with a baking sheet.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until bottom is brown.

3)      Enjoy on your way to work!

Trying to lose weight and don’t know what to eat? Try adding some Olive Oil to menu! This oil is rich in taste and is be found in most salad dressings and marinades. Olive oil has hunger-busting qualities, which stems from its monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. This acid triggers a complicated process in the stomach that ultimately tells your brain you’re full and makes you want to stop eating. Not to mentions, olive oil encourages the digestive system and helps regularity. Doesn’t that sound good to your stomach? Check this out…

 Poor a spoon full of olive oil  on your favorite veggies and watch your waist melt away away!

By: Tasha Turnbull | Fitness Expert

A typical excuse I hear from time to time is that it costs more to eat healthy; and thankfully, that is not true in most situations.  Subscribing to a healthier eating lifestyle can cost you the same amount, or less, than what you previously paid for food.  There are several ways you can cut costs while eating healthy.  Therefore, we are providing 3 ways to help you realize eating healthy can save you money in your pocket, and hopefully less illness in the long run.  Check out our 3 affordable healthy eating tips after the break!

1)      Meal Prep!  Planning is key when trying to achieve any goal in life; and it is especially important when trying to lose weight and save you a few bucks at the same time.  Planning your meals ahead of time saves you money since cooking at home often times is cheaper than purchasing a meal to go at a restaurant.  Also, since you have to do less driving to purchase a meal it saves you gas money.  Furthermore, your economic cost goes down; since you took a little extra time to prepare a couple of meals in advance, it reduces the amount of time you would have previously spent each day cooking your single money.

2)      Buy Some Foods in Bulk.  If your salad lover like we are, it’s more cost effective if you buy the 3 pack of romaine lettuce as opposed to already chopped up salad mix. We bought this 3 pack earlier today from Trader Joes at $2.99. Most places sell their romaine packs for  $2.99-$3.99. If you take the time to chop up your lettuce, you can easily get 6 servings of salad out of here as opposed to getting only 2 servings out of the already chopped mix. We also noticed that the 3 pack of romaine lettuce lasts longer than the chopped mix bags. These bags can usually last from 4-7 days. So we plan out what were going to do with the lettuce for the week: salads, tacos, nachos, lettuce wraps, sandwiches, etc. Save yourself some money and get more for your money by switching to the 3 pack. Regardless of what pack you get, you already have to chop up ur veggies to put on the salad, so you might as well take an extra 45 seconds to chop up ur lettuce, right?

3)      Visit your local farmer’s market.  Besides the fruit and veggies at your local farmer’s market will taste fresher than what is sitting at your grocery store it often times is cheaper as well.  Since the farmer is selling directly to the consumer; as opposed to the food being sent to the middleman, savings our often times passed on to you.  Plus, it is always a good idea to know exactly where you food comes from and supporting local business.

Popstar Britney Spears is covering the June 2013 issue of Shape magazine! The mom of two–who is working on her next studio album–opens up to Shape about sticking to her diet, the difficulties of staying in shape over 30, and more.

On maintaining her amazing physique:

“I like it, then again, I hate it. I’m in my 30′s now, so I have to work harder to keep it up. I’m doing 90 minutes of yoga twice a week in addition to a lot of cardio- hour- long sessions three times a week with my trainer Tony Martinez. The [Vegas] performances won’t be simple – they’ll be a massive party from start to finish. And to pull this off, I have to be in top condition and running at full speed.”

Read more excerpts and see more flicks from Britney’s Shape spread after the break!

On sticking to her diet:

“Dieting is tough… because my specialties are spaghetti, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. I try not to make those too often or I’ll eat the whole bowl of dough.”

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