Stop, drop and do 20!!!  Push-ups, that is.  The push-up is one of those amazing exercises that can be done anywhere.  It works your chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders, lower-back, upper-back…you get the point.  I try to fit in around 80 push-ups throughout the day.  I start with a couple sets of 20 before the kids get up.  This is because they find it absolutely hysterical when I exercise and usually tackle me until I am completely flattened into the berber.  I resume my sets during my daily dose of dvred Regis & Kelly.   Looking at Kelly Ripa always motivates me.  Oh, and by the way, I do ‘girlie’ push-ups and it still delivers the desired result.

 

Written by Lea Barlow1 Comment

Some days I am just too darn tired to cook so I rustle up the fam and go out to dinner…a lot.  To avoid packing on the lb’s I generally order some type of fish.  Well, lately many of my favorite seafood dishes have been replaced with tilapia.  Hello?! Where did my salmon and grouper go?  They have been pushed aside for the much cheaper, much dirtier, bottom-feeder fishy, the tilapia.  Many people think all fish is healthy for you and full of omega 3’s.  Not so.  The problem is that the tilapia served in restaurants and sold at grocery stores is mostly farm-raised.  Farm-raised fish are generally fed a corn-based diet that is extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids.  In contrast, fish in the wild feed off of greens that give them their high amounts of omega-3.  The difference?  Too much omega-6 fatty acid intake can lead to obesity, diabetes, fatigue, and memory loss. They can also cause inflammation in your body that leads to many health problems, including joint pain and heart disease. Your body needs both omega 3’s and omega 6’s but the ratios have to be correct in order to be healthy.

Check this chart out.  Hopefully, it will help you make healthier, more informed choices next time you are out to dinner or stocking up on the weekly groceries.

Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio of

Wild-Caught and Farm-Raised Fish

Wild Sockeye Salmon 19:1
Wild Coho Salmon 10:1
Wild Trout 7:1
Wild Eel 5:1
Cod 5:1
Farmed Trout 4:1
Halibut 4:1
Swordfish 3:1
Flounder 3:1
Farmed Eel 2:1
Farmed Salmon 2:1
Black Bass 2:1
Farmed Catfish 1:11
Farmed Tilapia 1:11
Source: Journal of Diet Assoc (July 2008); American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1990)
 

Written by Lea BarlowLeave a comment

Currently my latest food obsession is the blueberry .  These little guys are so packed full of nutritional goodness.  Besides being an antioxidant powerhouse, they are loaded with manganese, Vitamin K and Vitamin C.   If eaten by the large handful, they are also a great way to get your daily intake of fiber.  At only 80 calories per cup, you can’t go wrong.  Here are a few different ways to get that daily helping of the badass blueberry from my favorite online recipe source eatingwell.com.  Personally, I’m good with just the margarita.

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Written by Lea BarlowLeave a comment