DailyBurn - Fitness Gadget

Where Should I Eat: Fast Food Edition

Of course, we are only looking for healthy alternatives, right ;)  Find the salad:  Ready, set, go! 

Convert YouTube Music Videos to Songs for iPod - FREE!

Watch this video and try to be unhappy, just try - impossible!  http://bit.ly/3AjW63 I am adding this and several more by Jive Bunny and the Mixmasters to my workout fold on my iPod.  And how, you say, can you do that?  And are you sure it is free?

You can find a music video for almost any song on YouTube.  To save just the audio track as a MP3 or MP4 (for the iPod) mosey on over the http://ZillaTube.com.  Download the free version (it's all you really need).  Now, go pick out your music video on YouTube.  Copy the URL (from the URL box, not the top of the page).  Past the URL into the ZillaTube box that says "paste url here".  Click "download YouTube vido".  You might get a message asking that you make sure that you are online and that your firewall is not blocking.... ignore that (part of the price for using the free version I guess.  Click "Download YouTube Video" again.  Give it a few minutes.  It will save a file of the song to your desktop.  Drag that file into the ZillaTube drop box.  Make sure "audio for MP3" is displayed.  Click "Convert".  Save file and drag into iTunes.

See, a good education never goes to waste :)

OK, Off Theme Recipe

Jackson Parten is a great musician in Texas, and my cousin.  He is also also a cook extrodiaire.  Our grandmother made these neat little olive threats every year around Christmas.  Recently, Jackson and a lot of us cousins got together one evening and enjoyed her treats.  Jackson asked for the recipe.  And here it is!

OLIVE PUFFS via Mawmaw

1/4 cp butter ( half a stick)
1and 1/4  cup sifted all-purpose flour (ok, I never shift ...)
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Dash (I use multiple dashes ...lol) cayenne (red pepper)
Green Olives ... buy the very smallest ones you can find
I think that's all


Soften butter and blend in grated cheese.  Shift dry ingredients together into the cheese mixture (I use a Food Prosessor) Your goal is for the mixture to form a ball in the blender.  If it seems a little choppy, add milk in TINY increments ...like capful by capful... until all the sudden your food processor begins to make a ball.  Stop.  You have been successful!!! 

OK, now, divide the dough into balls of about the size of softballs.  Then flatten those balls.  Pop into the fridge.  Go on a date or something, becuse this chilling will take a few hours.  Before you go, dump a large bottle of small green olives into a collander to drain.  OK!  you're back, the dough is chilled and the olives have drained!

Pinch off a small amount of the dough.  Roll it into a ball.  Punch a small hole in the ball and insert olive.  Seal dough around olive.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  These freeze and re-heat beautifully.

Vacuum Away the Extra Pounds!

Wii Fit Plus - Quick Look

I got my new WiiFit Plus last week and today will be my first day to try it out. Normally, I don't read instructions but I had lag time sitting in the Mexico Chiquita drive-thru the other day and actually read them; noticed there is a nutrition and calorie section, found that ironic...lol.

I have posted a few vids of the new games and will give a personal blow-by-blow report after my maiden voyage. It looks like great fun.

Wii Fit Plus: Training Plus Games - Part 2

I am a sometimes golfer. More enthusiastic than talented. I am intrigued by the golf game's analysis of balance during the swing. WOnder what other golfers think?

Wii Fit Plus: Training Plus Games - Part 1

What fun! The first game seems like it would be a great math challenge for 5-8 year olds, also. The very tame Kung-Fu(ish) game isprobably is not a calorie burner.

Wii Fit Plus: Training Plus Games - Part 4

Dance Dance Revolution for the truly rhythm challenged.

100 Fast Walk/Slow Jog BPM Songs

Here is the ULTIMATE LIST of songs to match your fast walk or slow jog rhythm; lovingly from my home to yours ;)

50 Ways Fitness Heaven

Coolest Thing Ever or Creepy?

Ubisoft is coming out with a new game for Wii during the holidays. This game comes with a USB camera and scans your body shape. From this 3-D scan, it offers individualized exercises for "problem spots". The game is called YouShape. I'm thinking it would be hard to cheat at this game.

See It For Yourself

Video Games | Your Shape | E3 09: Debut Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

EA Sports Active Fun

EA SPORTS Active

This Is Why You Are Fat

Check out the website and look for the book coming to a store near you soon.

It is better to avoid this site if you are hungry.

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com

Want to See What You Would Look Like Thinner?

rVirtual weight loss, the easiest kind! I have found two sites that offer to take current, full length pictures that you submit, and return to you a photograph of you 10-20-30-40 or 50 lbs thinner. What a great motivator!

WeightView (http://www.weightview.com) is tied into Facebook. You upload your photo, and in 72 hours they have the new, thinner-you photo ready. The major drawback I see is that you have to have a Facebook account and be part of the WeightView Community (reads marketing to me) to get your new photo. Some people might object to the public display on Facebook.

WeightMirror (http://weightmirror.com) offers the same service, quicker, and picture is sent directly to you.

Both of these sites are free. I have not personally tried either, yet; so you be the judge.

This would also be very useful for those Match.com type photos!

Looking Forward to EA Sports Active!

Even Jubilee is getting a little tired of WiiFit.

Exercise Soundtracks - Super Customized

Whether you run or walk or do aerobics, any exercise is better with music; well, maybe not scuba diving.

We have all experienced the effect different music has on us. Fast paced music tends to energize; slow music calms. When you have identified your ideal workout heart rate zone, matching it with music keeps the ideal heart rate consistent. There is a formula to calculate your target heart rate, but if you are math challenhed, you can go here and have it calculated automatically.

To find what music exactly matches your ideal heart rate zone, you need to select songs with a beats-per-minute (bpm) range that suits your need. Up until now, this has been a real hit-and-miss process. Two new websites offer great options.

MixMeister (http://tinyurl.com/55ybin) let's you submit any song you wish, and it will provide the bpm for that song.

RunHundred (http://RunHundred.com) works in a slightly different way. RunHundred supplies playlist songs divided into four categories of bpm: 116 - 124 bpm; 122 - 132 bpm; 130 - 144 bpm; 142 - 160 bpm.

If you are scientifically inclined, and I am sure many of us are, wouldn't it be interesting to download and play several hours from the 142 - 160 bpm group at your office? ;)

Weight Control for Agoraphobics

Image via Wikipedia

If you want to step in front of the mirror every morning and smile ... and reality rarely penetrates your walls, here is the answer for you.

Optical Illusion Banishes Obesity.

Neat Program Guaranteed to Bring Out the OCD in You

Fitday makes computer programs that track everything you could possibly think of on your journey to health and fitness. There are three versions, each one more sophisticated than the next. One is free, and I find it more than adequate for my needs ... and I have never meet a chart or a graph I didn't like.

Data analysis is available for your physical activity, food consumed, nutrition, and a few other things.

If you are working with a personal trainer or a physician, giving them access to your site would be a good way to share your progress. http://www.fitday.com

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Meal Planning Doesn't Get Much Easier Than This

E-meals is a very low cost (about $1.25 a week) service that emails 7 diet specific dinner menus and shopping lists built around current sales. The choice of menus includes Low-Carb; "Points" (WW); Low-Fat; Vegetarian; and regular. Shopping lists are developed for your choice between Krogers; Walmart; ALDI; Publix; and general. The shopping lists contain prices based on sales the week of the menus. Click on the post title for a link to the site.

When Exercise Partners Are Unequally Yoked

Wii Workout - Ravid Rabbids TV Party - Miss Fit

Women and fitness

The gym might not be for you

Funny Video-Have you done your exercises for today?

Lol ...why Wii exercise is sooo much safer!

Mother's Day and Wii Related Sales

As I looked through the ads in today's newspaper I noticed a number of advertisements for Wii Consoles and Wii Fit, so you should be able to find one.

The only really good sales I saw for games currently available were for Gold's Gym Cardio Boxing regularly $29.99, on sale for $19.99 at Toys R US and Target. Also, high high on my fun list Ravin Rayman Rabbitt TV, regularly $49.99, on sale at Amazon for $34

About this time last year I pre-ordered Wii Fit, and absolutely love it. This year I have been watching the development of EA Sports Active, available 5/19. It is now available for pre-order. Best Buy (limit of 2 per person pre-order), GameStop, Amazon and the EA Store all have a price of $59.99. You can find it on eBay (limit 4 per pre-order) for $74.99 ...free shipping! What has happened to eBay? I am beginning to think they need to call it "Looking for that sucker born every minute".

How Much Exercise is Really Enough?

According to Andrew Weil, M.D., to maintain current weight, adults need between 2.5 and 4.0 hours a week of moderately intense physical activity. My personal physician recommends 45 minutes a day, five day a week, of "sweat intense" exercise, which is about that.

However, according to Dr. Weil, to lose weight, your exercise program must include both aerobic exercise and strength training, and must
exceed four hours a week. The full article is here.

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When You Can't Face Eggs or Oatmeal for Breakfast Again

It is hard to be very creative, and healthy at the same time, with breakfast ideas. Here is something good to add to your rotation.

Apple-Cinnamon Melt

A light wholewheat English muffin, split; or 2 pieces of light wholewheat bread
One apple
Shredded cheddar cheese (2%) - an oz or less is enough
2 packets of Splenda with added fiber
Cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. and other similar spices you like

Split the muffin and toast face down in oven at about 350 deg.

Coarsely grate the apple (include skin).

In a bowl, mix grated apple, Splenda, and spices.

Grate your cheese.

Divide apple mixture between muffin halves, top with a small amount of cheese.

Back in the oven, toast until the aoole mixture is warm and the cheese is bubbly.

Sugar Will Send You Straight To Hell - Will You Recognize It On You Way?

When S-U-G-A-R is spelled out at the beginning of the ingredient list of a product, it is pretty easy to avoid. But which of these ingredients are also sugar?

Barley Malt; Cane Juice Crystals; Corn Syrup; Corn Syrup Solids; Carob Syrup; Dextran; Dextrose; Diastatic Malt; Diatase; Ethyl Maltol; Fructose; Galactose; Glucose; High-fructose Corn Syrup; Lactose; Maltodextrin; Maltose; Panocha; Sorbitol; Sucrose?

All of them.

Evil, Evil Sugar.

What's for Lunch?

Two of my favorite lunch restaurants are in the Little Rock Heights neighborhood, Scallions and Cheers

Cheers has a wonderful vegetarian sandwich that I have tried to re-create and lighten up at home. Here is my version:

Flatbread
Fat-free Creme Cheese
Fat-Free Mayo
Sliced Black Olives
Red Onion
Roma Tomato
Sunflower Seeds
Alfalfa Sprouts
Bell Pepper


This sandwich is tastiest on pumpernickel bread, but since our focus here is health, let's start with light flatbread (90 cal., 9 g fiber). Mix together fat-free creme cheese and just enough fat-free mayo to make the creme cheese spreadable. Spread that, oh say an 1/8 of an inch thick or so,on the flatbread. Sprinkle on sliced black olives, then thinly sliced red onion (a lot), then sunflower seeds, followed by thinly sliced tomato and bell pepper. Top it off with a generous amount of alfalfa sprouts. Roll up. Slice. Eat. Yum.