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Cooking for one: Healthy advice for solo suppers

Diet & Weight Loss

Cooking for one is difficult, I know. My partner works nights, which means that Monday through Friday, I'm flying solo at home. It's a bit daunting to cook for one, and it would be all too easy to live on cereal or toaster waffles. Divine Caroline recently put together some nutritious solo dining tips:

  • Freeze it. Hesitant to put that yummy-looking recipe for six to use? Go for it -- and freeze the extras for future easy meals.
  • Buy some small appliances. A small George Forman grill is a staple in my kitchen. Other ones that will come in handy? A small food processor, blender or toaster oven.
  • Limit snack foods. After a long day at the office, it might seem like a good idea to have 25 crackers for dinner instead of a nutritious meal. Toss your favourite snack foods from the cupboards -- it'll force you to put together something that resembles a meal.
  • Be realistic. Are you really going to eat four red bell peppers this week? Probably not. Limit how much fresh produce you buy to reduce waste and cost -- you can always pick more up if need be. But make sure to buy some produce -- you won't eat it if it's not in your kitchen.

Want more tips? Click here, and be sure to let us know yours.

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How active are your kids?

Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

Recent research shows that most parents overestimate the time their kids are engaging in physical activity. On average, parents estimated that their kids were active for two hours a day. Actually, their kids were active for less than 30 minutes a day.

If your child is school age and old enough to go play with friends in the neighborhood as my son does, it can be hard to gauge their physical activity. If they're out of your sight, how can you know for sure what amount of exercising they're doing?

You can use this activity chart with your kids to check their activity level. But the best possible way to verify your kids are getting at least one hour of exercise each day (at least!) is to be active with them. Play a game of basketball, go for a walk or bike ride, visit a local playground, or go swimming. Active games -- such as hide and seek or red light/green light -- are also great ways to get your kids moving.

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Celebrity Fitzness Report: Brad Johnson of Discovery Channel's Last One Standing

Healthy Places, Celebrities and Entertainment, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Picture the Hulk with dreads, and a giggly personality. That's Brad Johnson. Brad Johnson is the superhero character on Discovery Channels' Last One Standing. Funny thing is...he IS his character. The man who topples competitors with his mantra "I'm Brad", is straight out of a Marvel Comic. He is a 29 year old father of two from Oklahoma, and one of the most successful lightweight Strong Men in the United States. Don't let that confuse you though. Brad is massive, but his 236 pound body comprised of pure muscle falls under the 240 pound criteria for Strongman heavyweight status.

Discovery Channel thought it would be fun to grab three American athletes and three from the UK and pit them against each other in ancient competitions amidst third world tribes. The competitors live with the tribes, eat what they eat, and train for battle in these ancient games.The competitors travel to Kalapalo, Brazil (wrestling); Zulu, South Africa (stick fighting); Tarahumara, Mexico (endurance running); Mongolia (wrestling); Trobriand Islands (tribal cricket); Sumi, Nagaland (Akikiti kickboxing); Senegal (wrestling); Papua, New Guinea (canoe racing); Brazil (Kraha log racing); Peru (glacial challenge); Java (martial arts); and Vanuatu (canoe racing).

Brad and I spoke last week about his wild trip around the world. He's passionate about sports and fitness, a fierce competitor who is willing to talk himself through anything with his "I'm Brad" mantra, a dedicated family man, and also a lot of fun. I called him giggly, but that's probably not the way his competition perceives him. Lucky me, to simply be on the other end of a conversation hearing about his exciting adventures. The Last One Standing airs Thursdays at 8:00 pm on Discovery Channel.

Fitz: What does "I'm Brad" mean?

Brad: It's my way of saying "of course I can do this!". I'm Brad! When I say that, I live up to my own expectations of excellence. Brad can not be stopped.

Fitz: How did you get into Strong Man competitions?

Brad: I played sports as a kid, football, track, and power lifting. I still wanted to compete after high school was over, so I pursued power lifting. I did really well, and basically got bored with it. Strong Man looked more interesting, power lifting only consists of three basic lifts. It also was exciting to finally be challenged again.

Fitz: What was the transition like?

Brad: Awesome! The power lifting competitors were really cocky and annoying, but all of the Strong Man competitors were helpful and positive. It was strange! Instead of trying to screw with me, they were giving me pointers and cheering me on. I loved it!

Fitz: How did you get involved with Last One Standing?

Brad: Discovery was specifically looking for an American Strong Man competitor and the American Strong Man Federation recommended me as a good candidate. A couple of weeks later I was auditioning in New York. It consisted of a three hour miserable boot camp. I think they chose me because even after my legs locked up on me two hours and 45 minutes into it, I came back and finished the training. They must have thought I was psycho enough for the competition. It was brutal.

Fitz: And then what happened?

Brad: Within a few weeks, I was granted a passport (never been out of the U.S. before) and flew off to visit some of the wildest tribes in the third world. I was only supposed to be gone for eight to nine months, but Discovery thought it was going well. We ended up extending the show to 12 episodes which took 14 months to shoot. I'd come home for a week every few months.

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Will chatting for hours on your cell cause hearing loss?

Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products

A small study of 100 participants conducted by the chairman of the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India found long-term cell phone users who chatted on their mobile for an hour or more a day, were more likely to suffer from high-frequency hearing loss.

Users who had their phones for four years or more were most effected, while those who had only had their mobiles for two years were less likely to have problems. According to the article, those suffering from high-frequency hearing loss have trouble hearing consonants like s, f, t and z.

It's important to keep in mind though, that the study is small and the researcher who conducted it points out that a much larger study and more research needs to be done before any definitely links or conclusions can be drawn. So don't panic, but maybe try not to chat on your phone for hours on end either.

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Are '100 Calorie' packs worth the extra money?

Do you like those little 100 calorie snack packs all conveniently pre-portioned into single servings? They don't do much for me (I always want more than just one!) but lots of people love them -- so many it has become a $20 million dollar plus per year industry.

Food companies make more money off those snack packs than you might as expect -- as much as 20% more than traditional packages. And although they do make portion control a "no brainer" and they save time (both of which are valuable to people these days) what do you think? Is it worth it to you to pay that much extra or are we all getting ripped off?

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