Going Green Can Put Green in Your Pocket

Do you have old cell phones, radios, cameras or gaming devices in the corner collecting dust or taking up room in your junk drawer. There's a better way to unload your unwanted electronics. Now instead of throwing them away, you can bring them to Target and trade them in for a Target gift card. How great is that! You're doing your part in keeping our environment cleaner AND you benefit financially for being a do-gooder so you'll have cash to upgrade to newer electronics.

I found this program through the Green Mom Review. NextWorth is based out of Target retail stores and they resell the electronics you bring in.

Do your part for Earth Day. Help keep toxic electronics out of the wastestream and protect our air and groundwater. Don't toss your electronics, donate it. It couldn't be easier to go green.

Jan

Dinner plan: meatloaf with shredded carrots and asparagus and a dash A1. Sweet pototo with butter and cinnamon and diced green beans.

Eat Healthy--Live Longer!!

It is hard to always eat healthy.  Most of the time, we are all on the run and have very little time to go shopping and then come home and cook a healthy meal.  It is sometimes easier to grab something quick and usually it is far from healthy.  That is why it is important to get in as many healthy meals as you can during the week.  Make two days a week fish night, even if it just means buying a piece of salmon and broiling it in the oven for 12 minutes.  Fish is high in omega-3 and is one of the best things for you along with veggies!

It is important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, so always have some fruit and/or veggies cut up in a bowl.  This way when you need to grab something quick you will grab those apple slices over chips.  Don't have time to cut up all those fruits and veggies, buy pre-cut produce.  I always have a bag of pre-cut carrots in my fridge so my kids can grab those for a quick healthy snack. 

Blueberries are extremely high in antioxidants and are easy to prepare, just rinse and munch and reap the benefits of a longer, healthier life!  Bananas are another healthy food you can grab on the run and are full of potassium!  Good Luck on taking steps to eating healthier, you will be glad you did!

Steph

BTW, we'd love to hear your tips on eating healthy made easy. Email stephandjanblog@gmail.com.

Family Fun! That's Healthy!

With our busy lives it's not always easy to find time to exercise.  It is important for the whole family to exercise and it can be fun!  In most families, spending time together means watching movies, T.V., having dinner together, playing board games etc..but not enough time exercising.  Here are some ways to incorporate exercise into family fun:

               --Take a karate class together
               --Take yoga class together
               --Play Wii fit together
               --Play tennis together
               --Go for family hike
               --Play catch
               --Play kickball
               -- Ski together
                --Take a swim class together
                --Go for a family bike ride
                --Skate together

These are just a few of the many fun activites that you can do together as a family. It is important to make exercise fun!  Although I have my family spend time cleaning the house as one of our family exercises.  It is sometimes fun!  We compete on who can do the best job in the quickest amount of time.

We all should be exercising at least 30 minutes a day, suprisingly many of us don't exercise that much and that's the bare minimum. Start by doing at least 2 family activities together a week.  This way you know your family is getting some activity in, and it is a great time for you to bond together as a family.  My husband never does any form of cardio exercise and it is a great health benefit for him.  I feel better knowing my whole family is getting healthy!

Steph

Dancing with the Stripping Stars?

I watched Dancing with the Stars last night and my 6 year old daughter sat down next to me. I think of DWTS as a family show and dancing as something family oriented to watch and encourages dancing, being fit and the arts so I thought it ok for her to watch a few minutes with me before bed. But at the end of the first dance, Lil Romeo tore his shirt off. My daughter was in shock and asked me why he took his shirt off in front of all those people. I didn't have an answer for her and I cringed a little. Fortunately she was in bed during Petra Nemcova's dance when Dmitra ripped her skirt off. Is this really what we want to promote to families as being acceptable behavior?

It seems we have all been desensitized to entertainers stripping on television and baring all, or pretty close to it. I remember when I was growing up it was a big deal when Cher wanted to show her belly button on TV. I remember when women had to wear a bra outside a shirt during commercials. While I'm sure television will never be that reserved again, I do wish there were limits to how much is revealed and how. Entertainers keep pushing the envelope and the FCC continues to allow more as to what is acceptable. Enough already. Let's have some dignity, principles and a little shame. :)

Jan

Get Hot This Spring! -- Tone that bod!

Spring is here!  It is time to start packing away the winter coats, hats and gloves!  It is time to get serious about healthy eating and exercise.  Bathing suit season is around the corner and no matter how old you are, you can still look great in a bathing suit, if you tone yourself up and the time is now!!! 

The problem areas for most women are the of the back of the arms that start to loose their elasticity.  The abs and the back of the thighs.  It is important to tone those areas.  There are some great all body toning exercises that I like to do with my clients.  There is one that I like to call "The Superman Swim" and "The Backwards Superman Swim"

              Start by laying face down on the floor, keeping your arms above your head.
               Lift your legs off the floor, while engaging adominals and squeezing glutes,
               At the same time, lift your arms and shoulders off the ground, keeping neck aligned with body.
                Then swim, moving arms and legs quickly up and down.
                Hold for 10 seconds and release.  Repeat for 8 counts.
                Then try with arms slightly out, into a Y shape and repeat
                 Then try with your arms out into T shape and repeat, remember to lift legs and head  as well.                 

Then it is time to flip!  "The Backwards Superman":

                  Start by laying face up and lay on your back.  Keeping your arms above head.
                   Lifting your legs and arms off floor, engaging adominals. 
                   Lifting your head off floor too.  Hold for 10 seconds.
                   Then swim, moving arms and legs quickly up and down.
                   Spreading your arms and legs.  Arms in Y shape, then a T shape, hold each for 10 seconds.
                    Repeat for 8 counts.

Continue this exercise for 8 weeks at least 3 times a week and see your awesome toned body emerge! 

Steph

Allergy Sufferers Beware - How to Battle High Pollen Count

It is predicted that due to the harsh snow-filled winter will lead to high levels of allergins including pollens and mold. Last year's pollen count was the highest in 20 years and this year is expected to be equally high.

Allergy fighting foods.
An article from Mother Earth News, Six Natural Allergie, reveals some natural alternatives to help relieve allgery symptoms. It suggets stocking up on citrus fruits, onions, apples, parsley, tea, tomotoes, broccoli, lettuce and wine which are naturally high in quercetin and figh off free radicals which can cause cell damage and lead to cancer. Quercetin is a natural antioxidant and prevents cells from releasing histamines.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help decrease allergy symptoms. Omega-3s help to fight inflammation. Cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseed oil, as well as grass-fed meat and eggs are good sources for Omega-3.

Stay indoors on high pollen days.
It might be hard to do but on days that have a high pollen count, stay indoors, keep your windows closed and avoid using a window fan. Check the daily pollen count on Weather.com. 
Jan

Strawberries - Superfood but Super Risk?

Go Organic with Strawberries. Strawberries sprayed with pesticides are hard to be washed off. Basically all fruit which are eaten with skins like apples, peaches, blueberries, cherries, etc, are good to buy organic so you don't have any threat of consuming pesticides.

A good trick to washing strawberries and probably all fruits is to soak them then rinse. Fill a bowl with water and soak your fruit for 10 minutes, then rinse. I heard this tip and was shocked when I saw the bowl of water from soaking strawberries.

According to an article, 11 Things you should buy Organic, had this to say about strawberries:

In addition to having up to 13 pesticides detected on the fruit, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis, conventional "strawberries have a large surface area and all those tiny bumps, which makes the pesticides hard to wash off, so you’re ingesting more of those chemicals," explains Marion Nestle, PhD, a professor of nutrition and public health at New York University and author of What to Eat.

Also, see our simple recipe for banana muffins.
Jan

Dinner tonight: Tonight is fish night. Gorton's haddock tonight with lemon and tartar sauce. Mashed sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon, and snap peas.