I was unsure of what to write about for my blog, food or working out? One of my favorite things and the other one of my least favorite but also one of the most needed aspects of a healthy person’s life. I decided to conquer working out, one of my least favorite, most dreaded things…until I found the FitBit.
I started using my FitBit in February and it really helped me get started and stay motivated. You may have heard of them or seen them on someone’s belt buckle a FitBit counts all the calories you burn. It counts how far you’ve walked or run and it counts how many stairs you have taken and it calculates all the calories you burned that day.
The upside of it is that it really motivates you, or did motivate me. Every day, if you continue to stay active a little flower grows on the screen. It also sends you email updates on your daily or weekly progress. Believe it or not making that little flower grow to a big mature one motivated me. If I had only done 8 sets of stairs that day I will literally make myself do 2 more to reach the daily minimum. The numbers the FitBit gives you is based on your current weight verses your goal weight. You create an account on www.fitbit .com and put your information in and it downloads to your FitBit. You can also log your food on the same website. It is very easy and fun to see your progress.
The down side of the little FitBit, is that it calculates burned calories even when you are sleeping and I have never counted sleeping as an activity, now I can…cool huh? It then gives you your total calories burned which in turn can actually make you feel like you can eat more. Not the desired effect that FitBit is looking for. The other down fall is that the FitBit is technology and as we all know technology doesn’t always work. In March my FitBit stopped communicating with my Mac, I gained 5 pounds. 
I started boot camp the beginning of June and wow my FitBit is going crazy. I burned 700 calories my first day! Talk about keeping you motiviated. I am hoping to be down 10lbs by August 26th, wish me luck.

I recently took an amazing vacation in Hawaii. Amidst kayaking through waterfalls, hiking volcanoes and lying on the beach, my husband and I toured a Hawaiian coffee company called the <a href=”http://hilocoffeemill.com/”>Hilo Coffee Mill</a> on the Big Island. There were lots of different flavors to sample including my personal favorite, pineapple iced coffee! As we tasted a variety of freshly brewed coffees, the tour guide gave us a piece of information that shocked me…..

<strong>”the bolder the coffee the less caffeine” </strong>he said.

I had no idea! Maybe I’m the only one who thought that extra bold and dark roast coffees were giving me an extra jolt of caffeine! It turns out that Light roasts have the most caffeine. Similar to regular cooking the longer coffee is roasted, the more caffeine (and other elements, CO2) are cooked out of it.

So next time you are in need of a boost….opt for the light roast coffee. From now on I will! What roast do you typically choose when having your morning cup?

If you’re like me, you spend all winter craving the summer heat and then all summer trying to find ways to cool off! So now that the heat and humidity are officially upon us, I’m definitely feeling the need to escape some of the swelter. Here are some tried-and-true ways I’ve found to get through the dog days:

<strong>Make it shady indoors:</strong> If you know it’s going to be record-setting day for heat, start it off by pulling your shades. Your home will start out cooler and won’t get as hot by the end of the day. This will also help your AC to not work as hard. On super-hot days, remember that sunlight is not your friend.

<strong>Slow down: </strong>Put off those strenuous tasks for another day. Laundry, unless it’s in your cool basement, can wait. And forget about cooking. Make a salad or eat something cold. Ice cream always works!

<strong>Stay out of the sun: </strong>Pretty obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this rule. If your deck or patio gets full sun, move your favorite chair on the grass under your shadiest tree. Enjoy! And if you’re lucky enough to have a hammock, you know that’s where you should be, right?!

<strong>Stay wet: </strong>After showering, forget about drying your hair. Now is the time to go au naturel and let your hair curl or put it up. A wet head can work wonders in cooling you down. Drink lots of water throughout the day. And spritz yourself with water occasionally–it’ll feel great and provide some relief for a while as it evaporates off your skin. If you can, hang out by the pool or lake, or escape to the beach. And if you can’t get away, a sprinkler or kiddie pool can do the trick too.

I know I’ll be following my own rules this summer. In fact, I think, with a high of 92 degrees in the weather forecast today, it’s time to hit the pool!

Here’s another easy summer recipe to bring along to a holiday celebration or birthday party. If you are going to a 4th of July celebration this weekend, take this light, easy, cool summer cake along. It is sure to be a hit and everyone will ask you how you made it!

So easy. You’ll need a box of white cake mix, a box of Jell-O, and a tub of whipped topping. I usually use a raspberry flavored Jell-O, it seems to have the best flavor with the white cake mix. I also get the light whipped topping to cut back on the calories.

Bake the cake according to the directions on the package. A 9 x 13 pan is most commonly used for this cake but you can get creative and make layer cakes or a Bundt. After baking, cool the cake completely. Once cooled & while still in pan, poke holes all over the top of the entire cake with a fork. Mix up the Jell-O according to the directions on the package then pour the Jell-O liquid evenly over the top of the entire cake. Cover with foil and refrigerate over night. When ready to serve, frost cake with whipped topping. You can add fresh strawberries as a garnish, if you like, but this cake is delicious all on its own.

Enjoy!

Another year flying by and another summer suddenly upon us. Every year, we tend to assume the same thing: we’re going to have an enjoyable summer and we’re not going to let it slip by having spent most of our days in the office & our nights in front of the TV; by the time Labor Day rolls around, though, most of us end up scratching our heads, wondering where it went. I think it’s time we made a to-do list for the summer – a bucket list, of sorts – that we can check off as we go. Here are a few things I’m hoping to do within the next two months (sure, some of them seem pretty obvious… but I just want to make sure I really <em>do</em> them!):

– <strong>Hit the Beach</strong> Whether you’re a North Shore, Cape, or South Shore kind of person, there’s a beach within reasonable driving distance to pretty much everyone in this area – so pack up a cooler full of treats and get going!
– <strong>See the Fireworks</strong> I understand that we only have a small window of time in which to do this, but don’t miss it. If Boston’s Esplanade seems too overwhelming, check out <a href=”http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Independence-Day-fireworks-displays/-/11971628/15130174/-/qfup6p/-/index.html”>this</a> link to find the city/town closest to you that’s putting on their own show.
– <strong>Stop the Ice Cream Truck</strong> Even if there’s not a kid in sight, run after the truck and get a little something for yourself – it’ll be worth it for the nostalgia <em>and</em> the deliciousness.
– <strong>See an Outdoor Concert</strong> Check out the lineup at the <a href=”http://www.ticketmaster.com/Comcast-Center-tickets-Mansfield/venue/8213″>Comcast Center</a> or – my personal favorite – the <a href=”http://www.ticketmaster.com/Bank-of-America-Pavilion-tickets-Boston/venue/8310″>Bank of America Pavilion</a>. There’s just something awesome about live music outside on a warm night.
– <strong>Explore New England</strong> This area is crazy-rich in both history and beauty; it’s a shame to take that for granted and always think you have to travel far & wide to see great stuff. Go check out the gorgeous art galleries & quirky shops in Provincetown or head up the coast of Maine to see the more than 50 lighthouses that decorate the shoreline. Whichever direction you head in, you can usually accomplish a lot in a little day-trip.
– <strong>Dine al Fresco</strong> Sitting outside on the patio of a great restaurant is one of those things that will always make you wish the nights were just a little bit longer. If you’ve never done it, plan on it; if you know what I’m talking about, do it more. You’ll regret it come September if you don’t.

Have you been to a British Beer Company yet? They just opened one in Manchester, NH! I’ve been to the one in Westford many times, and it’s wonderful. They have live entertainment, TV’s, and great pub food. A fun menu with Guinness Steak Pie, Bangers & Mash, Bubble & Squeak Potatoes, The Mahi Burger, and Bourbon & Stout Ribs. How can you go wrong cooking with Guinness and Jim Beam? Like an English pub, it’s a great place to meet friends, watch the game, and relax. It’s pub life in America.
I’ll be going to the Cape this summer, and will be meeting friends at the Falmouth location.
Check out their website http://www.britishbeer.com/local/falmouth/

Believe it or not It could be an option in the future! Not only will your tattoo vibrate, but it activates when your cell phone rings or you recieve a text message.
While I was researching fun facts for a blog, I came across an article on omg-facts.com that it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that Nokia has applied for a patent to design tattoo ink that would vibrate when your cell phone rings. The patent describes ‘a material attachable to skin, which is capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin.’ The practical use of this, is a removable vibrating tattoo.

While the technology isn’t specific and could be used in many different ways, the patent makes it clear that embedding the material is the main use. It talks about using ‘ink enriched by ferromagnetic or paramagnetic compounds.The patent application was first discovered by the blog Unwired View’s Vlad Bobleanta, who said, “The tattoo would be applied using ferromagnetic inks. The ink material would first be exposed to high temperatures to demagnetize it. Then the tattoo would be applied. You’ll apparently be able to choose the actual image you want as the tattoo. The procedure is identical to that of getting a ‘normal’ tattoo—only the ink is special.”

So you tell me…..would you get a vibrating tattoo?

I met a recent college graduate who spends two hours commuting to and from work each day. That’s four hours a day. In the car. Just trying to get somewhere! Ok, I’ll admit he’s pretty lucky to be fresh out of school and already employed. And yeah, he <em>is</em> looking for an apartment closer to work. But I couldn’t stop obsessing over all that time spent in the car!

And then repressed memories about my own previous commutes flew back into my consciousness: Two days after graduating college, I began working quite close to downtown Boston; to get there, I got a ride to the commuter rail station, jumped on the train, switched to the subway, dragged myself onto a bus, then walked 5 minutes down the street. Later, after buying a car of my own and moving to an even more suburban area, I eventually spent an hour or more in gridlock traffic – each way! – on the Pike. No matter how often I tried to remind myself that there were real problems in the world and people whose suffering was far greater than mine, I still found myself a cranky, whining beast. After chatting with this four-hour-a-day warrior and reminiscing about my own experiences, I realized that commuting is something most people are affected by and almost everybody wants to talk about. It’s plastered all over my friends’ Facebook pages, Tweeted about at lightning speed, and discussed ad nauseum almost any time a group of people comes together. So if it makes us so miserable, why do we do it?

I started researching commuting/traffic, even though I sort of assumed nothing would come up… and was slightly shocked to find article after article about why people commute (apparently we prefer a large house and a yard in a suburb to a cramped studio apartment down the street from the office in the city) and just what it does to us (“It correlates with an increased risk of obesity, divorce, neck pain, stress, worry, and sleeplessness. It makes us eat worse and exercise less.” – according to <a href=”http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2011/05/your_commute_is_killing_you.html”>this</a> interesting article). <a href=”http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_paumgarten?currentPage=all”>This</a> article from The New Yorker is pretty long at seven pages but is absolutely worth the time it’ll take you to get through.

So what’s <em>your</em> story? Are you one of the lucky/smart ones that made it a point to find a home as close to work as possible? Do you have to sit in stopped traffic for an ungodly amount of time each day? Do you look at your commute as precious time to yourself or do you find your blood pressure rising with every passing minute? (In case you’re wondering what my deal is, I now commute 17 minutes each way and get stuck in almost no traffic… and my life is noticeably happier each morning and evening. Just sayin’.)

Well it looks like summer arrived right on schedule this week. Looking for a fun alternative to a traditional summer slaw or salad? Try this:

Lobster and Grilled Fennel Salad
1 Fennel Bulb, grilled, cut into ¼ julienne cut
½ cup Dried Cranberries
1 T Sugar
4 T Rice Wine Vinegar
¼ Sweet Onion, cut into 1/8” julienne cut
1 ½ cup Picked Lobster Meat, chopped
2 T Basil (Chiffonade cut)
Salt
Pepper

Remove stalk of Fennel, cut bulb in half the long way, add a touch of salt, pepper and oil and grill over high heat until fennel is charred but not burnt. Remove from grill and let stand until cool. Once cooled, cut the fennel bulb against the grain to create julienne strips about ¼” wide.
Mix fennel, dried cranberries, sugar, rice wine vinegar, onion, basil, salt, and pepper together until uniform. Gently fold in lobster meat, chill for 30 minutes, serve cold.
Enjoy!

Summer is officially here and that mean all pools are open! As you are splashing away, you are actually burning calories. In fact, swimming is one of the best ways to workout. Here is a great article with some helpful workouts to do while you’re hanging in the pool this summer.

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/swim-your-way-slim