January first you woke up and decided to shuck those extra holiday pounds. You found a diet that you like and something comfortable to stick with. You’ve been doing well- steadily losing weight, feeling better about yourself. And then- the first road block of the dieter’s new year- Super Bowl.
This Sunday living rooms across America will be piled high with testosterone, beer and plenty of greasy favorites- tempting your self-control. To help you through this main event of eating, as Super Bowl is America’s second largest day of food consumption behind Turkey Day, I thought I’d share some healthier options.
Now listen- healthier does not been bland or boring. These tasty munchies will have your guests saying “we want more” and never once questioning how low-fat-carb-calorie they might be.
Our top Super Bowl food picks are:
Chipotle Chicken Cups
Stuffed Mushrooms
Beef Jerky
Crock Pot Hot German Potato Salad
Chicken and Red Chili Tamales
Pork Fajita Pitas
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Fireside Chili
Don’t deprive your sweet tooth either. Check out Cherry Almond Popcorn Clusters, Rocky Road Brownies and Smorgasbord Fruit Salad.
If these don’t trip your tastebud trigger- search through the more than 600 recipes on Diets In Review that are low-carb and Weight Watchers friendly.
Whether a Patriots or Giants fan- the real winner will be your delicious and healthy Super Bowl buffet.
… And no, we’re not talking about heartburn from the cheese dip. Experts have noticed that heart attack cases rose significantly in Munich, Germany when their nation’s soccer team was in the World Cup. I know this has translated to football in the U.S., because a fan of my favorite team went down with a heart attack when the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly lost a game on their way to the Super Bowl a couple years back.
So, this Sunday, stay calm and try some heart-healthy snacks.
As each day of the life of my two year-old daughter has gone by, I become more convinced that sleep is a number one, maybe number two mandate for leading a healthy and functional life. Anyone who has survived on just an hour or two of sleep quickly realizes why sleep is often used as a form of torture. Our need for sleep clearly diminishes with age: newborns need 16-20 hours of sleep per day while adults require about eight. Nonetheless, we all need it and for most of us, we could all benefit from more of it.
Easier said than accomplished, right? This weekend, or the next opportunity you have to sleep in, allow yourself the deserved pleasure of sleeping in until your body naturally awakens. Then assess your sense of wakefulness. If you feel like you could sleep more (and hopefully your household responsibilities allow you to), then sleep more. Your body probably needs it.
I’ve just recently started to research and investigate the practice of chiropractics. Coming from a medical family, I have often looked upon this form of health care with hesitation and doubt. But since many of my friends have had successful treatment outcomes after visiting with a certified and trained chiropractor, I thought I would give it some further inspection. In doing so, I’ve learned about the basic premise of this system of medicine.
Chiropractic is based upon what science has told us namely, that our nervous system, comprised of brain, spinal cord and millions of nerves controls the function of every tissue, organ, system and even cell in our body. Our typical daily activities of daily living cause the normal positioning of the spine to get jolted out of its healthy stance. In doing so, the nervous system is rendered dysfunctional and this can lead the physical signs and symptoms of some type of illness, ache or pain that we feel.
A chiropractor will then try to manipulate the spine through specific adjustments to place it back in its original position. It is definitely a very compelling and fascinating premise and for me, arming myself with knowledge and information and then combining with a healthy punch of intuition is my best course of action before I take any action.
Welcome to another episode of Twists and Turns! I’m really having a lot of fun watching this season of Biggest Loser- but I don’t know how much more of this my nerves can handle. This week we’ve got trainers competing, Jillian crying (yes, the bully wept), no one giving into temptations, couples being torn apart. Last night was pretty intense for me- I can’t imagine being the brunt of all of the producer’s mind games.
Let’s address the fact that Bob totally stacked the deck in his favor. By winning the run against the escalator competition, he was able to pick the teams who would only be training with him. Jillian said he’s “got blood in his mouth from the last four seasons” because the contestants she trained have been the Biggest Losers. Fair enough. But he took all of big guys- the grey, black and orange teams. The new Blue team is born. Jillian bawled her eyes out while she watched everyone being separated. I think it created an interesting dynamic for players and trainers to work together. How good is that for ratings though?
So the new Black team has the former blue, yellow and purple teams. What everyone would agree is the weaker of six couples- but they are not short on spirit or spunk.
My “Cry of the Night” came from Brittany. During the second challenge each team (new blue versus black) had to walk backward on the escalator for as long as possible. Last team standing would split $10,000. The new blue team, of which Brittany is on, is younger. So I really thought this was an easy win. I was so disappointed in that entire team. Two and three minutes in team members are bailing. You can’t hang? Jillian makes you spend hours at a time on the treadmill. So everyone bails- leaving Brittany to compete alone. She hung as long as possible and finally stepped off. She stepped off to cheers, hugs and applaud and I cried right along with her. Nice work Brittany!
Quote of the week goes to Bernie. He had two really dynamite choices last night, but I think I settled on – “The best way to describe Jillian’s last chance workout is just medieval torture.” There was a lot on the line going into this week’s weigh in. The newly formed blue and black teams had to weigh in against one another. The team who lost had to choose one person to send home. Not team- as in the two people who came together – but individual person would go home.
I don’t know why this bothers me so much- but it does. How can you break up these people? Sure it’s incentive to make them work harder- but the entire theme of the season. In any event- Bob’s new blue team totally womped the new Black team- 50 pounds to 17 pounds. It was heartbreaking to watch them find someone to send home. But in the end, Jenn of the purple team was selected to leave the Biggest Loser Ranch. The tearful goodbye was evident of things to come as each goodbye will continue to get so much harder.
Next week, Biggest Loser is promising “the most shocking elimination yet.”
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