Turkey Trot Time!
November 23, 2009
Yes, overeating is a part of Thanksgiving for most of us. However, you can be proactive in burning those calories and maybe even give back to your community at the same time by participating in a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! Many of the turkey trot events support a local food bank. This is usually a fun, short run that the whole family can participate in. I know several people that make it an annual family tradition! Check out the link below to see if there is an event near you.
Active.com – Turkey Trot event list
This is a great way to start your long holiday weekend, support your community, burn calories, rev up your appetite and have some fun too!
Fitness tips, exercise videos and healthy recipes at WithAmyMac.com
Sprint the Chorus
November 16, 2009
Ever need to kick your elliptical or running workout up a notch but just don’t know how? How about changing your tempo? Sounds easy but how do you really implement that solution? I find that there are a few songs in my workout playlist that are perfect for ’sprinting’ during the chorus. I really tune into the song and then every time that fast paced chorus pops up, I’m off to the races! Increasing your heart rate for even short intervals will help you improve your cardiovascular system, as well as burn a few more calories!
Couple of my favorites:
Seether “Remedy”
Outkast “Hey Ya”
Find more fitness tips at WithAmyMac.com
Calories Posted on Menu – Make any difference?
November 10, 2009
A few weeks ago, a small study indicated that posting the calories on menus had not impacted ordering decisions in NYC.  More recently, city health officials have revealed that there has, in fact, been a difference in the menu selection since the calorie-labeling law went into effect. Many people claim that they aren’t paying attention to the numbers but at 4 chain restaurants, Au Bon Pain, KFC, McDonald’s and Starbucks, fewer calories were ordered.
What does this mean?
I think its a good sign that many people want to reduce their caloric intake but don’t know how. By giving them this information, they can make an informed decision. It seems like a simple, inexpensive step for restaurants to take to help fight obesity. I don’t think it affects their profits because people are already in the store and going to order. So this means the only bottom line affected is ours, which is a good thing.
How Posted Calories Affect Food Orders – NYTimes
Health and Fitness tips and videos at WithAmyMac.com
Holiday Savings with our Discount Codes!
November 9, 2009
Save money while you shop and travel for the holidays with these discount codes and promotional links. Plus, you’ll be supporting your favorite health and fitness show producer!
Travel
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Save money this holiday season on your car rentals with our Dollar Rental Car Coupon Code: Fit10. You’ll save 10% off any car rental. |
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Renting a bigger car that handles snow for the holidays sounds like a pretty good idea! Save 10% off any car rental with the Thrifty Rental Car Discount Code: FIT10 |
Gift Ideas for Other (or yourself!)
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Camelbak, lowe alpine, merrell, the north face, oakley, patagonia, timbuk2, yakima and more are all available at MooseJaw.com! Use our MooseJaw discount code to save money when you shop for hiking, camping and outdoor clothing and equipment!
Use the MooseJaw discount code: FIT and you’ll save: 15% off and get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49. Extra 10% off of sale items and get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49.
This code applies to both of these offers and the MooseJaw system will apply them correctly to your purchase. |
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Use – AFLife15 – and you’ll save 15% off a $75+ purchase! |
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Running, hiking, basketball, tennis or weight-lifting – no matter what your sport, you are going to constantly need a refresh in the shoe department!
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Looking for online coupons and discounts so you can save money on domain registration and renewals?
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Petco Coupon Code: Fit – Save 10% off and FREE shipping on orders over $65. Petco Coupon Code: Fit10 – Save 10% off ANY order! |
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eHarmony coupon code: EHFIT to receive the 4th month FREE when you purchase three months. |
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Match-making made easy. Join Chemistry.com with our discount and save money while you find love one of the top online dating sites.
Chemistry.com Discount: Chemistry.com/Fit – Save 25% off of your subscription |
What Martha and her friends left out…
November 5, 2009
Anyone following my tweets this week knows that I’ve spent much more time than usual in the kitchen. It’s no secret that I’m not a good cook. I don’t have the time, patience or the attention span to be successful as a cook and I’m fine with it. However, sometimes I have a burst of motivation to get ahead with meals, try a new recipe or experiment for the show. This week was one of those weeks and I spent a couple of hours Monday afternoon making 3 soups – vegetable, chili and chicken with wild rice – so we could freeze some for later and enjoy this week.
Let me be the one to lift that Hollywood production veil for you…
Foreshadowing – Explosions
Should’ve known it would be a rough day when on the way home from the grocery store, my milk exploded in the back, then my sparkling water exploded all over me at lunch.
Incident #1 – Miscommunication
I read in Better Homes and Garden magazine that you can put soups in storage bags and then lay on a cookie sheet to freeze. Then you can store them flat and upright. I thought this was brilliant so I tried it.
FAIL. Either the soup was still too warm or too heavy because it bust right through the bag! I cleaned it up and used tupperware.
Incident #2 – Equipment Failure
Chris always asks for pot roast but I have no idea how to make it. I tried it yesterday. I seared it on all sides (thank you Gordon Ramsay) then put it in the slow cooker for 6 hours with grilled onions and chicken broth. I checked on it a couple of times and noticed that it wasn’t very warm. I switched made sure it was on, plugged it and even switched outlets to troubleshoot.
FAIL. At the end of 6 hours, it was still lukewarm, uncooked and Chris spent 5 hours cooking it on the stovetop last night. We had cereal for dinner. The slow cooker, which made soup on Monday, has been labeled broken.
The Unseen – Other things cooking shows and magazines don’t tell you or show you.
Chop Time
I had no idea how long it took to chop vegetables for these soups. I cut, sliced and diced for an eternity!
Clean Up
I have never seen any ‘after’ pictures or watched Martha do dishes. My kitchen was destroyed and took an hour and 2 dishwasher loads to return to normal.
Lessons
Live, learn and accept that you don’t have a team of people and experts to help you.
Always plan on prep and clean up time.
Check your equipment.
Overall
My soups turned out awesome and we will enjoy them for the coming weeks.
The Woodchop Warm Up!
November 3, 2009
<< Easy Full Body Warm Up Fitness Video! >>
In this Fit Life, I have 3 easy full body exercises that will get your muscles warmed up and your heart pumping so you can get the maximum benefit out of your workout. Warming up is also a big part of injury prevention so make sure you take the time before and after you workout to stretch and properly take care of those muscles. These exercises can be done with a dumbbell or medicine ball. Start off with light weight and then you can up the intensity as you advance. Yes, this will work your muscles but I favor it as a workout warm up.
Fit Links:
How to Warm Up Before Exercise – About.com
Reference Guide to Warming Up – Sparkpeople.com
Discount Codes:
CCS coupon code: AFLifeFS and you’ll get FREE Shipping on your $30+ purchase!
Petco Coupon Code: Fit – Save 10% off and FREE shipping on orders over $65.
LifeLock promo code: Fit10 – Save 10% off your membership and get a FREE month trial
Match.com Discount – Save 25% off your subscription – go to Match.com/Fit
The Fine Print:
You can find the rest of my shows at Mevio .
Subscribe to Fit Life RSS!
Audio Shows:
Assercize – 1 move a week to a better butt! RSS
Fitness Attack – Over 500 health, fitness, workout tips in a fun, short format show! RSS
Best Option! (so you don’t miss anything!)
Full WithAmyMac package including easy recipes, exercises and workouts, sponsor discounts and more!
Breast Cancer Awareness
November 2, 2009
I can’t believe it’s November already and its dark sooo early! I also can’t believe that I didn’t get a post up about Breast Cancer Awareness in October. Every year, I’m amazed at the amount of participation in stores, products, walks/runs and promotion that Breast Cancer gets in October. Congratulations to everyone who supported, donated or participated in any of these. We all know someone who has been diagnosed, and hopefully recovered, from breast cancer. It is so important to take care of your health and have those yearly exams. To those who are fighting, or have lost someone to any type of cancer, I offer my sympathies. Just because October has ended, doesn’t mean the fight and awareness should, so keep your eyes peeled for events coming to your city in the coming months.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
National Breast Cancer Foundation
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