That's Fit

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Day 5: Today was one of "those" days. I missed breakfast due to an early appointment, and I ended up at a fast food restaurant for lunch. I'd love to report I ate a salad, but honestly, lunch looked more like a chicken sandwich and a few stolen fries from my kids.

So by 3 p.m., I'd neither exercised nor eaten any fruits or vegetables. Days like this can be dangerous to people like me -- all-or-nothing thinkers. Old me would say, "Well, I blew it today so I might as well start over tomorrow." But there's no reason why one mistake has to lead to a whole day's worth of overeating.

So dinner was light, mostly fresh fruits and vegetables -- probably not five full servings, but the best I could do. And I was back out on my bike after dinner. And just to make up for that chicken sandwich, I added in 10 minutes of ab work when I got home.

Photo: sxc.hu

Day 7: For some reason, biking was my workout of choice this week, a switch for me since I'm usually a walker. But in just seven days, I can already see some small changes. My legs don't burn quite so much, and my usual route just doesn't seem long enough anymore. What this proves to me is what I already know (but it's still fun to see it in action): Consistency really is key.

The same goes for the fruits and vegetables, I think. Tonight, during a family trip to the ice cream store, I passed up the treat for some fresh blueberries I knew I had waiting for me at home. Eating fresh produce at every meal has helped keep me satisfied, making it easier to say no to sugary treats.

Photo: sxc.hu

Want to make the 5 and 30 challenge work for you? Here are some simple tips to get you started:

• If you're brand new to exercise, start small. Think 5 and 10 challenge instead, and work your way up.
• That 30-minute workout can be broken into two to three smaller workouts if time is short.
• Choose an exercise you love, so you look forward to it every day. But change it up now and then to challenge both your mind and your body.
• Visit your local farmers markets for the freshest fruits and vegetables. They'll taste better.
• Love to snack? Make a rule that between meals, only fruits and vegetables are allowed.
• Put a big bowl of fruit out in plain sight. We had the most magnificent plums this week, and putting them out in plain sight meant the whole family reached for those first, before something from the snack cupboard.
• On the other hand, if you're trying to lose weight, there shouldn't be anything in your snack cupboard. Keep your trigger foods at the store and out of reach.
• As always, get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water -- both will help keep hunger at bay.

Have you ever tried a challenge like this one? What kinds of tips and tricks can you share with our readers to make this healthy habit stick?

Got a Walking the Walk idea you'd like to see Bethany try for seven days? Share it with us in comments!

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Send us an email to reciperehab [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com to submit a recipe for a makeover!

Recipe may vary from photograph. Photo: Mark Thomas, jupiterimage

One of my favorite desserts is fruit crisps, especially during the summer months. I love going to the farmers market, where the freshest seasonal fruits are at their peak. Fruit crisps usually contain a variety of fruits blending sweet and tart flavors. Unfortunately most crisps usually contain close to 400 calories and well over 10 grams of fat, so although it's my favorite dessert, it's an infrequent indulgence.

I was determined to create a healthy alternative. It tastes decadent, but is surprisingly low in calories and fat. Plus, it packs a nutrition punch: Blueberries contain the highest amounts of antioxidants of any food, which has been shown to help fight cancer and cardiovascular diseases. They also contain high amounts of vitamin E and C. In a study published in the American Journal of Nutrition, vitamin C was associated with fewer wrinkles, which are frequently caused by soaking up too much summer sun. This recipe can be used with both fresh or frozen fruits,making this summer time favorite a year-long one!

Are you gearing up for a 4th of July celebration this weekend? The holiday is a perfect opportunity to gather family and friends together for a barbecue. Hopefully, after your holiday feast, you'll be able to catch an awesome fireworks display, too.

But you don't want your 4th of July food to blow up your healthy eating goals, do you? One of the more popular items on the menu for the weekend is probably BBQ chicken. But how many calories does that sweet, tangy, falling-off-the-bone barbecue favorite pack?

Photo: franssenph/Flickr

Whether this weekend has you heading out or hosting your own celebration, you'll want to ring in the 4th of July with foods fit for good health and a stable scale. Here are some diet-safe and tasty dishes you might want to try.

• Kick off your event with Sun Dried Tomato Breadsticks. Just 67 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.
• Need a super side? Our own Tanya Zuckerbrot offers this non-fattening Asian Slaw recipe, and one serving comes with only 51 calories and 1 gram of fat. Goes great with Tanya's Ahi Tuna Burgers, I bet.
• For a main meal, mix some lean meat with some antioxidant-rich fruit, whole wheat pasta, olive oil and a little lime zest, and you've got yourself a Chicken and Blueberry Pasta Salad. Stick with just one serving, and you'll use up just 315 calories.
• Every party needs a grand finale, and what's better than a red, white and blue dessert? Add a handful of blueberries and raspberries to a small bowl of low-fat, low-sugar vanilla frozen yogurt and watch the sparks fly. Or try this dessert that Jonny recommends: Eat blueberries right out of the freezer (mixed with frozen cherries), add some FAGE 2 percent yogurt, sprinkle with slivered almonds, flaked unsweetened coconut and some probiotic powder.

If you'd like more tips for slimming down your backyard BBQ, Kristen's got you covered.

Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @LizNeporent.

Photo: D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr

Limiting sugar and carbs will help me drop belly fat – Fit or Fiction?

In his new diet book, "The Belly Fat Cure," Jorge Cruise reveals the No. 1 one secret to getting healthy – fast! "It all comes down to knowing how to eat the correct amount of sugar and carbs -- what I call the S/C Value. Without this ratio, you will fail to produce the hormone leptin, and you will store belly fat," Cruise tells readers. A client of his who went on the diet lost an unprecedented 13 pounds in one week as a result of eating chocolate, Dortitos and ice cream.

So, have you done your grocery shopping for the big cookout this weekend? Before you do, think about how comfortable you really are with blowing several days' worth of calories in one big, fatty meal. Since you're here, chances are good you'd rather keep the damage to a minimum. And no, lightening up your Fourth of July spread of food doesn't make you any less patriotic.

Want to cut some calories without sacrificing flavor? The video below has some great tips. We want to hear from you, too. Share your top tips for a slimmed-down barbecue in the comments!

Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie Photo: Starbucks

Starbucks' full line of "real food" hit the stores nationwide today -- although you may have already seen many of these products rolled out in recent months. All foods are now free of artificial trans fats, dyes, flavors and high-fructose corn syrup. Good news right? Sure, but a cookie is still a cookie.

There is debate and a lot of misunderstanding about whether HFCS is worse than sugar, and the scientific jury is still out. But the verdict from a recent tasting is that real flavors and slightly more wholesome ingredients make for better treats.

The Banana Walnut Bread swapped banana flavoring for the real fruit. But with 480 calories, it's not much of a waistline improvement on Starbucks' old banana bread. More than one AOL Health Editor commented on the flavor of the sample slice. "It tastes like real bananas!" one editor exclaimed. "It's surprisingly good." Even so, the bread, like many of the cookies, is still quite large. It should be an occasional indulgence and not a staple.

That brings me to the Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie. Topped with a generous quarter-cup of various dried fruits, it is delicious. It offers three full grams of fiber, but also 370 calories and 14 grams of fat. Again, the wholesome ingredients are a step up, but the nature of the treat is no different.

jupiterimages

Last week, That's Fit reported on the results of a Japanese study that found that vinegar may be able to suppress body fat accumulation. While the research was conducted on mice, not humans, and the findings are preliminary at best, injecting a healthy dose of vinegar into your diet isn't necessarily a bad idea.

"Eating salads and tossing them with a lot of oil and vinegar is a wonderful part of a well-balanced diet," says Keri Gans, registered dietitian and spokesman for the American Dietetic Association. "[Using vinegar] is a really healthy, low-calorie way of cooking, and if people get used to using vinegar instead of a lot of heavy fats, they could lose weight."

But if you rarely use vinegar when cooking or frequently suffer from heartburn (vinegar slows digestion and increases acid activity in the stomach), proceed slowly.

Photo: VirtualErn/Flickr

Have you ever heard the phrase "go together like peas and carrots?" Some foods do more than simply taste good together. Like adding fuel to the fire, the nutrients in certain foods can do even more for our bodies when they are paired with complementary nutrients in other foods. This is called food synergy. Some examples:

• Tomatoes and broccoli both have cancer-fighting nutrients. When eaten together, the effect seems to be more powerful. Try this broccoli and tomato salad or stir-fried broccoli with tomato/chickpea ragu.
• Vegetables are even better with a little good fat. You don't want to douse your veggies in butter or ranch dressing, but adding a little olive oil or serving avocado with your veggies can help your body absorb more of the vegetables' phytochemicals. (Both olive oil and avocado are rich in monounsaturated fat.)
• A reason for fruit salad. Want a delicious end to your dinner? Serve up a fruit salad. The phytochemical quercetin (found in apples and berries) works together with catechin (found in purple grapes) to help prevent platelet clumping.
• Vitamin C boosts iron absorption, so toss some mandarin oranges in with your spinach salad.
• Eating some omega-3 rich fish? Drink a few ounces of red wine or enjoy a handful of grapes. The polyphenols found in grapes and red wine make it easier for your body to absorb omega-3 fatty acids.
  

So how hard should you work to find these complementary foods? If you have a certain medical condition (such as high blood pressure) that you're trying to manage, you might want to consult a registered dietitian for advice. And it certainly doesn't hurt to pair together some of the foods mentioned here. But, food synergy is a complex subject, and there's no need for nutritional stress. Just aim for an overall healthful diet with a variety of nutritious foods -- remember to choose a colorful assortment of produce -- and you'll be on the right track.

Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.

Photo: imagesniper/Flickr

People who wolf down their food are more likely to be overweight and suffer from digestive problems. Here are some tips from the Life Extension Foundation (an organization dedicated to exploring ways to live long and healthy lives naturally), expanded on by me, to help you not do that!

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

So we're all savvy enough to know that just because it's under the salad section on a menu, doesn't mean it's healthy, but who knew these salad shockers could pack in thousands of calories and nearly a day's worth of fat grams (or more). AOL Health culled together some of the worst leafy-green offenders.

First it was an epidemic of obesity, and now it's an epidemic of diabetes and obesity. One sure-fire way to ward off the latter and reign in on your overall health? Ditch your car. Walking -- even if it's not helping you lose weight -- does a great job of keeping your health in shape. Read all 12 diabetes prevention tips from AOL Health here.

Want to know what the ladies are thinking about themselves (and their partners) in bed? Read AOL Health's sex survey to find out once and for all how (and if) size matters, whose looks she's worried about and how far on the kinky scale she's willing to go.

Photo: JelleS/Flickr

There's nothing like a summer camping trip -- long, hot days spent hiking or swimming in the lake and cool nights around a campfire. When packing up all the gear for your next camping trip, remember to pack health and nutrition, too. Campfire cooking isn't limited to hot dogs and s'mores. With a little planning and creativity, you can have some delicious and tasty meals that are in keeping with your healthy eating goals:

• Breakfast. Scrambled eggs are a natural on the campfire. Just pack a cast iron skillet and a spatula. Also bring healthy mix-ins like green pepper, onion and mushrooms. Or bake these flaxseed-loaded Morning Glory Muffins ahead of time. Granola also makes a healthy breakfast as well as a handy trail snack. Fruit is also handy and healthy.
  
• Lunch. Bring a softside cooler that's easy to take with you while hiking, boating or touring the local towns. Pack fruits, vegetables, healthful sandwiches on whole wheat and other nutritious foods.
• Dinner. There are plenty of healthy, filling and delicious foods you can cook on your campfire. Try beef kebobs, roasted vegetable fajitas, even baked pears for dessert.

Remember to incorporate lots of physical activity into your camping trips, too. Water skiing, hiking, swimming, volleyball, biking, and other activities are obvious choices. But be sure to check for opportunities that are unique to the area as well, such as climbing sand dunes or going parasailing. Your camping trip won't only be an escape from the every day... it will also be a chance to get fit and healthy.

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That time of the month is kind of like an extended case of the munchies, isn't it? And we've all given in to snacks, cakes -- any and all temptations. But these monthly indulgences don't have to become a habit. Armed with AOL Health's "PMS Diet" guide, you'll be able to satisfy those cravings for increased energy and comfort -- without wrecking your otherwise healthy eating routine.