Lighten Up Family Favorites

Remember Mom's rich brownies? Or Grandpa's five-alarm chili? They're in every family — sacred recipes that get passed down through the generations. The problem is that family favorites often aren't as healthy as they could be. But with a few alterations to the recipe and cooking methods, you can still enjoy the tastes you love while cutting out excess fat and calories. Try the following tips:

Spray, don't pour: Coat pans and baking dishes with cooking-spray butter, margarine, or oil.

Go nonstick: A nonstick pan can reduce the need for fat when you sauté.

Reach for broth: Sauté vegetables in low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock for great flavor minus the fat.

Strip the skin: Cut calories by always removing the skin from poultry and trimming visible fat off meat.

Soak up the flavor: Leaner cuts of meat can be less tender. Use a low-sodium marinade to add flavor and help tenderize.

Switch tactics: Bake, boil, or broil meats and other foods you'd normally fry.

Cut back: Cut the amount of cheese and other fatty ingredients in your favorite recipes by one half, or replace them with low-fat versions.

Get saucy: Try replacing some or all of the fat in baking recipes with applesauce.

Go veggie for a day: Replace meat in dishes with beans or meat substitutes like tofu or vegetarian crumbles.

Slow cook: Use a slow cooker to turn lean meats, vegetables, and beans into delicious soups, stews, and casseroles without adding fat.

Spice things up: Add flavor but not fat to foods with dried and fresh herbs and spices. From the sweet and citrusy flavors of basil and lemongrass to the distinctive flair of cilantro to the richness of curry, a world of flavor awaits your exploration.

Get to know yogurt: Replace the sour cream on your table with low-fat plain yogurt. It makes a great topping for baked potatoes.

And remember, no matter what you're cooking or baking at home, always keep portion control in mind when you sit down to eat it. Moderation is a key to success!

How Much Water Should I Drink?

Question: How much water should I drink each day? I hear all kinds of answers, including 1 ounce of water for every pound of body weight, and six to eight 8-ounce glasses. Which is right?

Answer: Water is a vital part of any diet and exercise program — not to mention life in general — because it aids every aspect of bodily function. Water is a huge component of muscle and is important for energy production, so if you want to make the most of your workout, make sure you're well hydrated.

There is no real one-size-fits-all approach to water consumption. As a general rule of thumb, men should consume 128 ounces of water daily, and women should consume 88 ounces, but this doesn't mean you need to drink this amount of water every day. Other beverages, as well as the moisture content of foods, also count toward your water intake. The following factors affect how much water you should consume:

Exercise: If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for that fluid loss. Drink 12 ounces of water two hours before a workout, and another 12 ounces 30 minutes before you begin. While you are exercising, you should drink 4 to 8 ounces every 15 minutes. You should consume an additional 12 ounces within 30 minutes of the end of your workout. During intense exercise involving significant sweating — say, during a marathon — you may need a sports drink rather than plain water, to replace the sodium lost in sweat.

Environment: In hot or humid weather, you need to drink additional water to help lower your body temperature and to replace what you lose through sweating. You also need additional water in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. Heated indoor air can cause your skin to lose moisture, increasing your daily fluid requirement. Additionally, altitudes higher than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) can affect how much water your body needs — higher altitudes may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Outdoor Workout

Now that spring is almost here, the weather where you live is probably warming up (unless, of course, it's warm year-round where you live!). It's a great time to start gearing up to take your workouts outside, if you haven't already!

Exercising outdoors is one of my favorite things to do, and I highly recommend it. It's a great change of pace that will get your blood pumping and your senses engaged, and you'll soak up all that fresh air and vitamin D from the sun. You'll also get in touch with your surroundings, and maybe learn your way around a park you've never visited or an unfamiliar part of town. In addition, outdoor workouts are free — no gym memberships or class fees to worry about!

To make the most of your outdoor workout:

• Dress for the elements. Wear a hat and jacket if it's cool outside, and no matter what the temperature, wear sunscreen and sunglasses to avoid sun damage.
• Drink plenty of water before you start and after you finish. If you're going to work out for more than 30 minutes, carry a water bottle with you or stop for a drink during the workout.
• Dress in layers, peeling them off as you warm up.
• Wear reflective gear if you exercise before the sun rises or after it sets.
• Bring music — you can carry an iPod with headphones — to keep you pumped up. Or, if you can, bring a friend!

Go on — take your workout on the open road! You'll be glad you did.

How to Get Your Family Moving

Question: After years of being inactive, I decided I was sick of feeling sluggish all the time and decided to start exercising regularly. Now I'm hooked! How do I get my husband and 10-year-old daughter moving, too?

Answer: Congratulations! Realizing the importance of exercise is one thing, but actually making the commitment to get fit — and healthy — is truly commendable! And it's fantastic that you'd like to encourage your family to exercise as well!

Don't worry, getting your family fit shouldn't require begging or bribes. Exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym! Check out fitness DVDs that everyone can do together. Or pick out something that taps into their interests. For example, if your husband is a golfer, he might like a sport-specific DVD that features stretches and workouts that'll help improve his swing. Or maybe a weight-training DVD would be more up his alley. And if your daughter likes to dance, there are plenty of DVDs she can try. Consider my Fit Kids DVD; it includes fun hip-hop moves, speed drills, yoga poses, and stretching exercises.

You can also engage in some friendly competition. Go to the park and see who can speed-walk or run the fastest from point A to point B, or play a game of volleyball at the beach or pool.. You can also go biking together, throw around a Frisbee in the backyard, or go ice-skating. As long as the activity's fun, getting everyone moving will be a snap!

Healthy Cooking Tips

Healthy cooking tips: Some simple cooking swaps that taste great while making your meals significantly more nutritious.

1. Instead of cooking with all purpose white flour try a variety of whole-grain or nut flours. Here are some of my favorites: buckwheat, coconut, whole wheat, bean, and almond.

2. Instead of refined sugar try agave, raw honey, organic maple syrup, or Truvia.

3. Instead of butter or margarine try olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil and when baking you can even substitute with applesauce.

4. Instead of mayo try avocado spread.

5. Instead of sour cream try organic low fat greek yogurt.

How to Break Bad Habits

Old habits die hard, but the good news is that they do die. Don't lose hope or beat yourself up over it if you're having trouble breaking bad habits. It's not that easy to change your ways. Just keep plugging away.

Start by replacing old habits with new ones. The key is to learn how to take care of yourself and pamper yourself in ways that are life affirming rather than self-destructive. Learn how to deal with sabotaging emotions by establishing some healthy patterns of behavior and investing in your physical and emotional well-being.

If you judge yourself every time you're in front of a mirror, try focusing on the things you love about yourself. When was the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself how great your features are and how beautiful you look?

If you're constantly looking to the media for stories about celebrity diets and weight loss, try finding more realistic role models — everyday people who've lost weight or achieved other goals similar to yours. They will be the most inspiring. Start paying attention to people you know.

If you tend to blow off your workouts until your vacation rolls around — or there's some other event, like a wedding, lighting a fire under you — ease yourself back into your daily workouts. Without commitment, you won't be able to achieve the goals you truly desire. Put your life in perspective. Everything is a choice — from how you feel when you wake up in the morning to whether or not you floss your teeth at night. To make the right choices, you need to ask the right questions: What is my true goal, and how are the choices I'm making going to help me achieve that goal?

An Easy Protein Fix

We're rounding the corner toward summer's final stretch…isn't it crazy how fast the season flew by? This weekend, make it a priority to get outside and do something fun. Go for a hike or get out to the park. Need ideas for a quick and easy picnic lunch? These roast beef wraps, a delicious and healthy option, are full of lean protein. They're so simple to make, you can easily whip up one of these babies for an on-the-go workday meal.

Roast Beef Philly Wrap

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, divided
• 4 8-inch low-carb whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 cup raw spinach leaves, washed
• 8 ounces lean roast beef, sliced

Preparation

For each wrap, spread a quarter

of the cream cheese over the

surface of the tortilla. Layer

tomato, spinach, and roast

beef on top.

Fold the opposite sides of the tortilla toward the center and roll up

from

the bottom.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 10 g
Sodium: 556 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 13.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 11 g
Protein: 13 g