Broccoli slaw is an easy, traditional summer salad around these parts.  As I was perusing this month's Southern Living magazine I came across a recipe that was a little different than I had seen.  I decided to use it as a base and made a few changes to lighten it up.  This is the end result and it has a great, light, crunchy, tangy and sweet flavor.  



BROCCOLI SLAW WITH CRANBERRIES 

1 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup plain Greek Yogart
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 bag broccoli slaw
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C sunflower seeds

Cut broccoli florets from stems; separate into small pieces with a paring knife.
Whisk together yogart and next 6 ingredients
Add broccoli slaw, cranberries, and broccoli and stir to coat.  Add sunflower seeds and toss.  Cover and chill 1 hour.
ENJOY!

That's it!  How easy is that? 

What's your "go to" summer salad?  Do you eat fruit in your salads?  Husband will not so it's a bummer!

A friend sent me this video this morning.  I can't tell you how fabulous it is and how it touched me.  I sat by myself watching and laughed and, I will admit, cried.  I hope you can find a few minutes to BE INSPIRED!

The end of the week is in sight!  Yippee!  The weekend is around the corner and I am finally rid of school for all three boys for a few weeks.  It is also the eve of a long Holiday weekend, so that even more reason to be happy.  I will be basking in the hot Florida sun for a few days at a baseball tournament with one son, but hope you all find some shade, lots of free time and maybe some cool water for a dip.

I've been loving a few things lately and thought I'd share.  The first is my Fitbit.  I posted about this recently and have loved wearing this little device.  It tracks your steps, stairs, miles and calories.  If  you like, you can log in  your meals or food and it will keep you apprised of your calorie count.  It is a great little tool to motivate you to get off your rump!  Mine went MIA for a few days so I was thrilled to have it reappear and back on my hip!  The shot above gives you a snapshot of part of my day today.  I think it looks okay, especially for a day when I really wasn't exercising.   

Here are some of my favorites right now:
1.  Juice Plus Vanilla Protein Powder.  Have I mentioned this before?  How it really tastes like vanilla and doesn't taste chalky?  Well, it does.  It makes a great smoothie!

2.  Tervis Tumbler.  This flowered cup is an everyday, attached to me, always in the car, ballfield, tennis court, desk, bedside fabulous insulated cup.  It keeps drinks cold, even in our heat AND can even keep my coffee warm in the mornings!  Love this cup!  

3.  Blender Bottle.  This is a new find and I'm so happy with it!  I drink out of it (when my Tervis is elsewhere) and blend smoothies in it when not using ice and a blender.  It comes with a little wire ball that works like a whisk in the bottle when shaken.  It has a great lid also, which makes it great for the car.

4.  Rodan and Fields Mineral Powder SPF 20.  This is a great product!!  It is a loose mineral powder that comes in shades to match your skin and contains SPF 20.  I am not one to wear a lot of make-up so this is perfect.  It brushes on lightly and gives a little cover.  This, coupled with my moisturizer that has 30 SPF, give me a total of 50 SPF on my face!  Pretty cool I think!  

Have a GREAT FRIDAY!

What are your new favs?  Do you have a "must have with you all the time item" like my Tumbler?  And then you misplace it?  

*as usual, none of these folks have paid me for my mentions or opinions (although I'm happy to accept if offered!)

In case you read my recent post about my stinky workout clothes and how I just can't get the smell out, even if fresh from the laundry, and you were worrying about me as you put on your perpetually fresh gear, just know we can all sleep better tonight.  I've found two products that have brought a sweet smell to all those around me!

I feel as if I've been away from this computer for days, simply because the past couple have been so jam packed.  My weekend consisted of seven, yes that is the number 7, baseball games, a four hour trip to the doctor and ER with one son and squeezing in a 16th birthday for another, followed by a Monday of another 3 hour follow up doctor visit and a "real" birthday celebration, so no time to post here!  But, enough of me and on to what's on my mind for today:  BALANCE.  This time I'm not talking about the kind of fit it all in, finding balance in health, wellness, life and family.  (I needed that this weekend, and about each day, but we'll leave that for another day)  I'm actually talking about the simple, plain, physical balance we all need, AND, sad to say, begin loosing as we gather new birthdays.

Here is an example, a few years ago we got tickets to take my parents to see one of their favorite musicians, Neil Diamond.  It was fabulous!  We had front floor seats and no one can take away the memory of seeing my parents standing, smiling, singing "Sweet Caroline".  It was such a great evening!  When the concert was over and it was time to leave, the difficulty began.  My father had lost so much of his balance that it was a huge endeavor for him to make it up the aisles, even assisted, to get to the exits.  My sweet husband found a crew member who was able to assist us to a back elevator and help us out.  It was a slow, nervous journey.

Balance, sometimes called proprioception, is communication between your mind and your muscles that allows the body to remain stable.  Proprioception is your own sense of where your body is in space.  “The term proprioception refers to  a sense of joint position,” writes Anne Quinn in a helpful article about balance training.  “It is the basic skill needed in practically every sport. From soccer to tennis to rock climbing, changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency in sport.”  Professional dancers and athletes have highly refined proprioceptive abilities simply because their bodies are required to respond to constantly changing forces, surfaces and elements.  But balance is an important skill for everyone, especially as we age.  Injuries from falls and accidents are a significant risk for older adults.  Maintaining stability throughout the course of our everyday activities is a key factor in maintaining health and wellness.
(www.getyourrearingearblog.com/exercise/the-importance-of-balance-training-for-exercisers-of-all-ages/)

Balance is like everything else, you don't use it you lose it.  That is why there is so much more emphasis on it in the fitness world these days.  I often have my classes do dumbell curls on one foot and switch to the other or do other moves one legged, use a bosu ball, which gives an unstable surface forcing your body to keep balance.  I always tell clients to practice balance moves at home.  Some good, easy things to do are:

Stand on one leg while blow drying  your hair, talking on the phone, ironing, folding laundry or waiting in a check out line.  

Reach over to pick up something from the ground on one leg.

Roll up a towel, stand on it with one leg and switch.

Sit in a chair and get up using only one leg.  

Time yourself on one leg and see how long you can stand without toppling over.  Repeat on the other leg.

Try any of these exercised with your eyes closed - just have something to hold on to if you begin to wobble!

(On all of these exercised make sure you switch your legs so you are not lopsided!)

If  you practice these you will see your balance and strength improve - and you won't even break a sweat!  How easy is that!
Here are some great tools to use when practicing balance work.  You'll see them at the gym, or in stores or online:

You will also thank me when  you are eighty, step off a curb and stay upright - without breaking a hip!

Are you more "balanced" on one side versus the other?
When was the last time you "ate it" because of being balance challenged?
  

What's on tap for your Saturday or your weekend?  Are you getting a workout in?  Challenging yourself one day?  Trying something new?  
Whatever it is I know and you know it will be worth it!  Go ahead and go for it.
I say this because it's all hard work.  I have always believed there is no such thing as luck = it's all about hard work!
I've done a lot this week, really pushed myself and I'm really sore.  I'm hoping you find a way to push yourself, too.  Getting out of your comfort zone is how we grow - and that's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual!  Just know it WILL be worth it!

Have fun this weekend!

And, by the way, my oldest son turns 16 tomorrow.  How did that happen?  I might get a little sad thinking about it. . .   

What challenges you?  What's out there you want to try? 

As school begins to wind down so does our normal routine.  I have had a couple of people ask me for workouts they can do at home.  So, eager to please I've come up with a short and sweet interval workout.  All you need is a set of dumbells, some energy and good  music.  Hey, I've even provided that!  Here is a new, fun playlist I'm cranking at class now.
So, whether you workout in your livingroom or backyard, I've got you covered!  

(As always, check with your physician before starting a new exercise plan.  I'm not a doctor, just a regular ol' fitness instructor, so please listen to your medical profession!)

Does your exercise routine change with the summer?  Do you workout more or less?

There is something out there so outrageous and over the top that I can't even believe I feel compelled to write about it!  Since it was featured in a New York Times article last week, the K-E Diet (short for Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition) has been a source of talk, controversy and curiosity. Do people, and brides, actually do this?  And to lose weight? And not because they are sick and actually NEED a feeding tube?

This so called "Wedding Diet" is the latest example of how common sense is absolutely thrown out the window in the pursuit of quick weight loss.  This is what happens to these desperate Brides-to-bo.  A plastic or rubber tube is inserted through the nose and through the esophagus and into the stomach.  This is common for folks who are sick and are not able to eat.  "The K-E diet, by contrast, is its first known weight loss application in the United States."

While this process has been described as "unique”,  I can only think of words like gross, ridiculous, disturbing and sad. 
How about dangerous, futile and unhealthy?

"So far, the diet is offered exclusively at a Florida clinic run by Dr. Oliver R. Di Pietro, its creator and an internal medicine specialist. A brochure promises that, over 10 days, the diet can lead to about 20 pounds of weight loss -- or about 10 percent of a patient’s total weight."  

"A patient is intubated with the feeding device and given a 10-day supply of a powdered food supplement (to be mixed with water), made entirely of protein and fat and amounting to 800 calories per day. Patients may drink water, unsweetened tea and black coffee during their treatment, but nothing else can pass their lips. They carry the solution in a tote bag at all times, where it provides a steady 24-hour drip of nutritional supplementation."AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THIS IS JUST INSANE AND IRRESPONSIBLE FOR A DOCTOR TO PRESCRIBE SUCH A METHOD?
  
What about side effects?  These sound like just the things a bride-to-be would like to be experiencing as she gets ready for her big day:  bad breath and constipation, kidney problems,  headaches, weakness, dehydration and fatigue.What about walking around for 10 days looking like this?

I'm not sure about you, but I had a few parties before  my wedding.  These gals put this thing up their nose 10 days before their wedding.  Do you really want to have this thing stuck up your nose while you go to your lunches, showers, brunches all dressed up in that cute outfit you spent weeks shopping for?  This is what you want to look like in your wedding party photos?  That poor fiance'.  I'm thinking he didn't bargain for this!

On the health side, this scheme, like any quick weight loss scheme -- whether via tube, straw or fork -- is a short-term solution. It will result in dropped pounds, but those come from lost water and muscle mass, rather than fat. The trouble with weight loss of this type is that it returns as soon as the diet ends -- and, it is more likely to return as fat, rather than muscle.  Furthermore, it does not fix or even address the factors leading to the weight gain or weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.  Those issues and habits will still be around after the wedding dress comes off. 


Feel free to tell me I'm wrong on this . . .
Are there any diets out there crazier than this one?  Do you think I'm being too hard?  Did you crash diet before your wedding?
Did you think that time before getting married was the best or worst time?  I loved it . . .  
credits:
/www.odditycentral.com/news/nose-drip-feeding-becomes-trendy-lose-weight-fast-wedding-diet.html; www.abc15.com/dpp/news/now/K-E-Diet-Brides-to-be-losing-weight-using-feeding-tubes; www.wjla.com/articles/2012/04/k-e-diet-has-brides-shedding-pounds-and-not-eating-for-days-74980.html

So, don't forget your mother (or Mama as I say), grandmother, person like your mother, especially your childrens' mother, or whoever is like their mother . . .
You'll be sorry if you do. Just saying. . . 

It's also a great time to think about some of the good things you learned from  your good ol' Mom.  Even if  you didn't have the best relationship there are usually a thing or two you learned.  

I learned a few things myself and realize I am still learning from my mother.  Here are a few:

The saying, "But for the grace of God there go I".

How to fold fitted sheets

How to keep a drawer organized

How to "work a room" and learn peoples' names

How you get more with honey than with vinegar

How you should always have lipstick on when you go to town, even if you don't have a stitch of make-up on

How to clean silver

How to have,  serve, preserve and put up fresh vegetables

How to be ladylike, even when you don't feel like it

How to hug

How to nurse a sick child, bring down a fever, fix a skinned knee

How to be really strong when things get really bad

How to always smile

How to pick your battles.  (you know, some just aren't worth it)
 
How to have good manners

How to re-pot a plant

That babies don't come with instruction books tattooed on their bottoms.  They are all different!

The importance of hard work

How to be really good at helping with school projects, Halloween costumes, pageant routines,  dress up days, presentations, craft projects 

How important it is to just listen sometimes

How it doesn't matter if your dress is homemade or inexpensive or not "in".  What matters is IN the dress

Now that I am also a mother I have learned that my mother truly loves me more than anything in the world.  I have also learned that being a mother is a constant learning process.  Every day brings a new delight, joy, crisis, heartache, angst, frustration, sweat, joke and belly laugh. 

It truly is the best job out there!  The hardest job and the most rewarding!

What great things have  you learned from your mother?

Happy Mother's Day!