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5 Little-Known Facts About Tennis Star John McEnroe

July 24, 2014 by

Tennis star John McEnroe rose to fame in the 1980s and dominated the American and international tennis worlds for much of the decade. Here are a few of the highlights from McEnroe’s often exciting career.

  1. McEnroe was born February 16, 1959, in Wiesbaden, Germany, because his father was in the Air Force. The family later relocated to Queens, New York, for the rest of McEnroe’s youth, as well as for much of his tennis training.
  2. Over the course of his career, McEnroe won 17 Grand Slam titles, 77 career single titles, and 77 doubles titles.
  3. McEnroe was known for his constant rivalry with Swedish player Bjorn Borg. The two played each other often throughout their careers.
  4. McEnroe has appeared as himself in several films, including as Mr. Deeds and You Don't Mess With The Zohan.
  5. Today, McEnroe is a tennis commentator for the NBC and CBS networks.

John McEnroe [Biography]
McEnroe [The Biography Channel]
John McEnroe [ATP World Tour]

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Hone Your Pilates Skills Off the Mat With These Pilates Apps

June 19, 2014 by

There are a number of different bodily benefits of Pilates, from tightening your core to relieving stress. If you’d like to incorporate Pilates into your everyday lifestyle, something as simple as your smartphone can make a big difference. Here are two helpful apps that will totally renovate your workout routine.

Pilates Anytime
While you may wish that you could do Pilates anywhere, anytime, your busy schedule doesn’t always allow it. The Pilates Anytime app works with your lifestyle to help you squeeze in a great Pilates workout right in the comfort of your own home. The app provides you with high quality instructional videos and instructor playlists for any skill level, and it even enables you to stream HD videos right on your television.

Pilates
If you’re more experienced with Pilates and you simply need someone to walk you through the positions at home, this app is for you. Its strict workouts provide a variety of complexes of exercises, and while the app doesn’t explain the basic movements that beginners might require, it does enable you to get a great Pilates workout even if you can’t make it to the studio. The Pilates app also offers helpful statistics about the benefits of each exercise on your body to give you a bit of extra motivation.

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Learn to Make Lasagna 3 Different Ways

May 14, 2014 by

Lasagna isn’t the easiest dish to prepare, but like most dinners, having a great recipe can make all the difference. These flavorful, cheesy lasagna recipes will appeal to all tastes and ages, and if you follow the steps, they’ll surely become favorites in your recipe book.

Best Lasagna Ever [Pioneer Woman]
This recipe is great for the home chef who doesn’t want to hunt down sophisticated ingredients at fancy grocers. Most of the ingredients are likely already right in your own refrigerator. Using simple ground beef, your morning breakfast sausage, cottage cheese and sliced mozzarella, you can create a decadent lasagna in under an hour.

Simply Recipes Lasagna [Simply Recipes]
This traditional lasagna recipe offers a bit of sweetness for a surprising boost of flavor. It uses the usual Italian seasonings and tomato sauces to appeal to lasagna lovers, but it also incorporates extra cheeses that just about anyone will appreciate.

The World’s Best Lasagna [Allrecipes]
If you want to make lasagna for a large group, this is the recipe to do it with. This meat and cheese-filled pasta dish takes a bit more time and effort than your usual lasagna, but it’s well worth the wait on special occasions such as dinner parties or holidays.

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Explore the Country’s Most Visited National Parks

April 17, 2014 by

Looking for adventure? Challenges, education, and exploration await at our country's 401 national parks— 84 million acres' worth in every single state across the U.S.! Here are the country's three most-visited National Park Service sites and reasons why you should visit:

1) Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 9,354,695 visitors in 2013
Straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee border, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers 800 spectacular miles of trails over 521,490 acres. In addition to hiking, visitors can camp, picnic, bicycle, explore historical sites, or fish the park's 700 miles of streams. (See a full list of to-dos here.) Watch your step: A trip to this national park might put you within range of a black bear, elk, or white-tailed deer.

2) Blue Ridge Parkway: 12,877,368 visitors in 2013
Awe-inspiring mountain passes are the hallmark of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic 469-mile drive that connects Virginia's Shenandoah National Park with North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A good old-fashioned road trip along the Parkway promises pit stops way better than your standard fuel-up: Expect scenic overlooks, hiking trails that lead to secluded waterfalls, and plenty of native flora and fauna. Check out suggested itineraries here.

3) Golden Gate National Recreation Area: 14,289,121 visitors in 2013
America's most visited national park site, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area comprises 24 attractions in and around San Francisco, California. These include Alcatraz, the Muir Woods redwoods forest, and of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. Read more about the Golden Gate National Recreation Area here.

Ten Most Visited Parks [National Parks Conservation Association]

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Interesting Trivia from Outdated USDA Food Guides

March 20, 2014 by

Over the years, the USDA has compiled a large number of informational food guides to advise people on everything from counting calories to managing diabetes. While some of the advice remains with us today, other tips have been superseded by new discoveries and better nutrition knowledge.

Here are some interesting tips from past USDA food guides:

  • In the 1940s, food portion sizes were measured using a yardstick rather than the cups or ounces that we use today.
  • In the 1960s, the USDA recommended that people eat the same amount of grains as they did fruits and vegetables. Today, we know that we should limit the amount of grains we consume, in favor of eating more fruits and veggies.
  • Many of the USDA’s food guide tips developed in the 1980s are still in use today, such as limiting sodium intake, drinking alcohol in moderation and avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol.

Too see more past food guides from the USDA, click here.

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Find Creative Cookie Recipes Online with These 2 Sites

February 20, 2014 by

You want to bring a homemade batch of cookies to your next dinner party or special occasion, but your usual chocolate chip recipe just won’t do. If you’re looking for a truly creative, sophisticated cookie recipe, these websites are the perfect resources.

Smitten Kitchen
This adorable cooking site is full of baking inspiration, and the cookie section is something to be admired. New York-style Black and White Cookies are stylish additions to any party, and they’re truly simple to make. For something a bit more unique, the tangy Key Lime Meltaways, savory Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies, or refreshing Green Tea Cookies are all delicious and beautiful recipes that your friends will surely admire.

101 Cookbooks
101 Cookbooks offers modern cookie recipes for the stylish baker. Whole Bean Vanilla Cookies make your whole house smell simply divine, and using a real vanilla bean instead of the usual extract makes all the difference. Biscotta al Pistachio are tiny, bite-sized versions of everyone’s favorite coffee pairing, while Olive Biscuit Cookies are truly unique, but just as delicious as traditional sweet cookies. No matter your taste or the occasion, 101 Cookbooks has a cookie recipe for everyone and everything.

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Happy Presidents’ Day

February 17, 2014 by

Remembering the courage and vision of past and present leaders, we honor and share the spirit of Presidents' Day together as a nation.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2014 by

Wishing everyone a day filled with fun and happy memories!

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Learn to Play the Logic Game Go

February 6, 2014 by

Go is an ancient board game made up of a grid-based wooden board and circular stone pieces in black and white. Opposing players each attempt to “capture” one another’s pieces by fully surrounding them with their own pieces, and the main objective of the game is to cover a larger total area of the board than the other player. While its rules are fairly simple, Go is a strategic game that is believed to improve your logical thinking and even relieve stress.

American Go Association
Like the name implies, the American Go Association connects Go players from all around the country. On their website, you can learn the basic rules of go, research its history, and research strategies before you begin to play. The site also offers a number of different ways to play the game, including online communities, computer opponents and even information about Go clubs in your area.

British Go Association
The British Go Association also offers useful information about the rules and strategy of the game, and it even features a number of video tutorials to teach new players in a more visual way. The site also includes lists of famous Go players and more information on the classic board game.

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Limit Fat and Sugar with These Easy Tips

January 22, 2014 by

Fat and sugar are best enjoyed in moderation, but they're found in so many food that it can be very hard to avoid them.

If you want to take control of your diet, these simple tips from the NIH website can help you reduce the amount of fat and sugar your eat:

  • Just because a food is low-fat or fat-free doesn’t mean it’s also low in calories. Those foods can have a large amount of sugar, causing them to also have a large number of calories.
  • Many people don’t consider the added sugar in beverages like soda or juice, but these can also cause you to gain weight. Some studies show that people who cut these sugary drinks out of their diets noticed significantly reduced weight gain.
  • Sugars found naturally in foods like fruit or milk are beneficial to your body, and fresh fruit can make a healthy alternative to other sugary snacks.

You can find more tips about managing your fat and sugar intake on the NIH's website.

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