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Fitness Buzz: How To Pick a Personal Trainer Who is Right For You

May 22, 2012 By

Trips to the gym are all well and good, but fitness buffs know that the best results come with a personal trainer. Having somebody pay close attention to your diet and exercise routine will help you tailor your activities to get the body you want. If you’re looking for a trainer, here are a few useful things to keep in mind. Be sure to consult with your doctor before beginning any new fitness or exercise regimen!

The best personal trainers are educated and certified through a personal training organization. It’s not necessary to have a college degree to take you through a workout, but the more knowledge they have about nutrition and body function, the better they can tailor your regimen to your needs.

Look for a trainer that has experience working with people with similar fitness needs. If you’re just looking to lose some weight, you probably don’t want to go with the guy who trains competitive bodybuilders. Make sure your needs and their skills match.

Make sure that your trainer has a methodology for tracking your progress. You want to be able to quantify the improvements that you’re getting in your health, and most good trainers will have statistics that they will monitor to ensure you’re getting your money worth.

If you have any medical conditions, make sure your trainer knows about them before you first session. No matter how shy you are about them, it’s vital that they know.

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Drink Up: Five Exceptional Smoothies

January 18, 2012 By

With less and less time in the morning, it can be tough to sit down for a full breakfast. That’s why smoothies are becoming a popular choice. If you’re looking to jazz up your blender, here are some delicious and nutritious suggestions for delicious smoothie meals. Add protein powder to any of these concoctions to add calories and nutrients.

  • One of the most enduring combinations for smoothies is banana and strawberry. The berries provide sweetness, while the bananas add protein, fiber, and potassium. They mesh exceptionally well together.
  • For a more subtle combination, blend fresh blueberries with vanilla yogurt. This is a refreshing and delicious treat with a remarkably complex flavor profile.
  • For something a little more filling, try a mixture of bananas and peanut butter. The peanut butter adds a huge dose of protein that can really fill you up without weighing you down.
  • Another great smoothie uses the tang of raspberries, the fiber of apples, and the nutritional punch of bananas to create a robust combination of flavors that tantalizes the taste buds.
  • For a more tropical take on the smoothie, try a combination of peach, pineapple, and mango. The tart sweetness of pineapple meshes perfectly with the more complex flavors of the mango and the peach. This is a great way to start the day, and pretty much everybody will enjoy it.

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Fill Them Up: Unique Thanksgiving Side Dishes

November 22, 2011 By

We all expect certain things on the dinner table come Thanksgiving – a huge, juicy turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the like. But it’s always nice to mix things up a bit with different side dishes to keep the meal from feeling too repetitive. Here are some suggestions for unique sides for your holiday meal.

-          Brussels sprouts are a traditional Thanksgiving side that nobody really likes, but there’s a lot to be done with the humble vegetable. Try flash-frying them so that the outer leaves get crispy and then serving them with a spicy aioli dipping sauce.

-          If you want to add some spice to your table, consider making Indian-style roasted carrots. Cut large carrots into batons, season with coriander, garlic, and salt, and roast. Add lemon juice and mint when they’re done and serve.

-          Sweet potatoes are also a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but why not kick them up a notch by making a gratin of sweet potatoes and pears. Use ginger and black pepper to give it a bit of spice.

-          If you’re looking to get more green on the table, consider broccoli – it’s in season and quite good for you. Quickly steam the broccoli and then sautee it in olive oil with garlic and hazelnuts for a unique take on the cruciferous vegetable.

-          Pickled beets also make an excellent addition to the table. Choose beets in a variety of colors and quickly pickle them in a mixture of sugar, water, and vinegar. This will bring out their natural sweetness, which pairs well with turkey as an alternative to cranberry sauce.

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A Splendid Snack: Five Great Cupcakes

November 8, 2011 By

The cupcake trend has swept the country, with charming little bakeries opening up from coast to coast serving the bite-sized cakes with decadent frosting. If you want to make cupcakes at home, here are five great ideas for recipes that will go beyond the traditional chocolate and vanilla:

-          Salted caramel is a popular flavor among more mature eaters – the tang of the salt mixes perfectly with the sweetness of the caramel. For the body of the cupcake, use a dark chocolate flavor to add complexity, then add icing made with salt and caramel. Top with a few large grains of sea salt.

-          Red velvet cupcakes are popular because of their dramatic coloration and rich, satisfying flavor. A true red velvet cake uses vinegar and buttermilk to release the red coloration in cocoa, but it’s fine to use food coloring as well. Top with a white buttercream icing.

-          Lemon cake is a great choice for cupcakes, as the intensity of the tart flavor works well in a small serving. Use fresh lemon zest in your batter and top with a lemony icing, then crush lemon drop candies or other sour confections in a food processor and sprinkle lightly on top.

-          Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are a great way to make a dense, satisfying dessert. The peanut butter in the batter makes the cupcakes a little heavier than normal, and topping them with a whipped peanut butter icing adds a different texture.

-          Another popular way to combine salty and sweet flavors is by making maple bacon cupcakes. Using maple sugar in the batter and icing adds an earthy sweetness, and topping the iced cupcake with candied bacon adds crunch, salt and fat.

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Best Breakfasts: Unique French Toasts

October 25, 2011 By

French toast is one of the most popular sweet breakfast dishes out there. It’s a great way to incorporate eggs into a dish without tasting them, and there are a wide variety of ways to prepare it. What follows are five of our favorites.

-        One classic French toast inspired by the cuisine of New Orleans is the Bananas Foster French toast. This sweet banana preparation caramelizes the fruit in brown sugar and maple syrup with pecans. Topping the toast with it is incredibly decadent.

-        For a healthier take on the dish, skip the powdered sugar and syrup and cover the top with finely-chopped berries – strawberries and blueberries work best. The natural sweetness will soak into the toast, making delicious flavors.

-        The bread you make French toast with can make a real difference in the final dish. While most people use white bread or baguettes, try making the dish with challah, the traditional Jewish twist bread. Its fluffy consistency absorbs the egg and cream mixture wonderfully.

-        Mixing a little pumpkin pie filling and cinnamon in with the batter can produce a delicious pumpkin French toast with comforting autumn flavors.

-        French toast doesn’t have to be sweet. A savory take on the dish can be made by using herbes de Provence in the batter mixture and topping the finished product with a zingy tomato jam.

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Eat Your Greens!

October 11, 2011 By

Greens are an old-fashioned superfood, chock full of iron and vitamins. Almost any green tastes good slow-simmered in broth with garlic and onion. Here are some ideas for different ways to spice up your greens:

1.     We all know that raw arugula adds a spicy kick to salads and sandwiches, but this tender green is also delicious cooked. Sauté arugula briefly in olive oil with garlic and add a splash of balsamic vinegar at the last minute.

2.     Kale is a green that can take a long simmer but can also be lightly steamed or sautéed. Another way to enjoy kale is roasted – make sure the leaves are dry, toss with some olive oil, and bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy this crispy snack.

3.      Broccolini is actually a member of the cabbage family but it’s still green and iron-rich! With a slightly bitter taste, broccolini tastes great sautéed in olive oil with red pepper flakes and garlic.

4.     Bok choy (also known as pak choy or Chinese cabbage) is a stir fry favorite with a sweet cabbage-like bulb and peppery leaves. Try braising bok choy on its own with an Asian inspired ginger sauce for a delicious side dish.

5.     One of the spiciest of greens, mustard greens can be tamed by pureeing them with spinach, a little cornmeal, and butter in the classic Punjabi dish sarson da saag.

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