Member Renae shares some of her favorite exercise music today.
This is Bon Jovi’s newest hit and it’s called We Weren’t Born to Follow… meaning we are born to be leaders rather than followers. It’s the theme music for this season’s major league baseball commercials on TBS, perhaps you’ve heard it? It has a great beat and message and it is a favorite of mine for exercise. I love to do my own thing at my home. That is how I exercise. I don’t enjoy public places and I don’t like to exercise out doors, though I know many do and enjoy it.
My exercise tip is do what you love to do! Do it to the music you enjoy because it makes the experience even better. When the time goes by pleasantly, then you have more of an interest in repeating it and hence the methods work!
Marilu’s interview on the Yahoo! original “Spotlight to Nightlight” series will air on Tuesday Nov. 17. This series is all about celebrity moms. Be sure to watch our favorite one!
“Spotlight to Nightlight” is featured on the Goddess blog at the omg! entertainment destination by Yahoo! Check it out.
There’s enough seriousness and drama in life to make every day kind of awful. But who wants to live like that? Give yourself a healthier, happier perspective on life, and get with the joy program – put some laughter in every day.
Did you know that the average four-year-old laughs over 400 times a day, but the average adult laughs just 15 times per day? That’s kind of pathetic.
Go to a comedy club or rent a funny new (or favorite) movie and allow yourself to relax.
Call up a friend who always puts you in stitches.
Have a hula hoop contest.
Have everyone share a joke each night at dinner.
Laughing not only enhances your mood, but those giggles can add up and burn calories. Try to find something (or more than 15 things) to chuckle about each and every day.
(psssst – It’s Friday the 13th! Have a little fun with that today.)
No sugar
No red meat
No alcohol
No dairy (milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, etc)
Purple Week/Boot Camp
Emphasis on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
No refined carbohydrates (pasta, bread).
No Soy
No Legumes (unless you’re eating completely vegan – then use legumes to augment your protein)
Low Fat
Low Seasoning
Blue Week
Anything that fits into Purple, fits here too!
Add some whole-grain refined carbs (whole grain breads, pastas)
Add more seasonings
Add legumes, but not soy subs (soy milk/cheese)
Green Week
Anything that fits into Purple or Blue Weeks, plus:
Add soy products (tofu and subs)
Somewhat more complex menus and seasonings than before
Yellow Week
Add less refined (“legal”) sugars in the forms of desserts and snacks
Miscombining happens in Yellow Week on occasion
The most complex menus and seasonings
What makes Friday the 13th unlucky? It’s a combination of things.
In numerology, the number 12 is considered the number of completeness. There are twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc. The number 13 is considered irregular. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. So the lesson there is never have thirteen people at your dinner table.
Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales. Many professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s. It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
Friday the 13th occurs only when a month begins on a Sunday. It happens at least once each year, but never more than three times. The next Friday the 13th is in August 2010.
On such a rare day, we’re going to have fun recognizing all the good and exciting things about the day. We’re going to think of it as extra-lucky instead of unlucky.
Instead of cutting back on entertainment (like live music, sporting events, and theater) to save money, consider thinking “smaller” about your entertainment choices.
Try minor league or independent league baseball or hockey, college symphonies, coffee shop and bar musicians, and community theater. Even high school sports, music, and theater are a lot of fun, and the quality is usually quite good.
Don’t be surprised if you get twice the fun for a fraction of the cost.
If you’re having company over the holidays – or really, anytime – muffins are a simple and easy breakfast. Serve them with fresh fruit and eggs for a healthy breakfast.
Muffins are also good to have around for a healthy and easy snack, or a treat in a brown-bag lunch. Bake them ahead of time, cool completely on a rack, and freeze in a freezer-weight zipper bag (remove as much air as possible).
We’re offering two different muffin recipes to satisfy everyone at the table.
1/3 cup chopped candied ginger or chopped pineapple, dates, or raisins
1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted or vegetable oil
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup Sucanat®
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato or winter squash
2 eggs or equivalent egg replacer
1/2 cup “buttermilk” (In a 1/2 cup measuring cup pour 1 Tablespoon white vinegar. Fill with soy, rice, almond or oat milk. Let stand 10 minutes before using.)
1-3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375F. Oil or spray muffin tins. Mix the ginger and wet ingredients in a bowl until smooth; mix the dry ingredients in a second bowl. Combine the two, mixing gently until well blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and bake on the middle shelf until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
Blueberry Crunch Muffins Green * Makes 12 muffins
1/3 cup Sucanat®
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
1 egg white, beaten
2 cups organic unbleached flour
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup soy milk (or rice, almond, or oat milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups frozen or fresh organic blueberries
Topping:
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup Sucanat®
1/3 cup organic unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, cream Sucanat and margarine. Add egg white; mix well. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with soy milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries.
Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full with batter. In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients and mix with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over muffins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Get a notebook and/or calendar in which to write all of your holiday plans.
List all the obligations you already know about, including special events, parties you plan to attend, guests you’ll be having, and any important information about them. Don’t forget school concerts, community events, and business functions.
Keep a log of your gift list, menu, recipe ideas, budget tracking, and anything else that will put all of your holiday information in one place.
Do you ever have one of those days that you’re just so happy that you bounce everywhere? You have that extra spring in your step, that extra flourish in every movement. You feel joy, but it’s wrapped in a layer of fun.
Make today one of those days.(Why not? Everybody can use a little fun.)
Did you know that gentle bouncing on a mini-trampoline can help improve your health? There’s a short-term increase in white blood cells and increased immunity. If you have a chronic illness, gentle bouncing may be a helpful part of your therapy – it only takes 10-15 minutes twice a day.
In the meantime, bounce through your day. Here’s a song to get in your head that just may help with that.
