Score a Great Deal on My New Favorite Shirt--and More

I'm biased.

I love everything in the SparkPeople Store. But there's one product that I'm absolutely head-over-heels in love with: the long-sleeved bamboo shirts.

We say: "Work out in comfort in our SparkPeople Ladies Long Sleeved Bamboo Performance Shirt. Bamboo is super soft for that worn-in feeling and naturally wicks moisture. The fabric also is naturally antibacterial, repellent to harmful ultraviolet rays, hypoallergenic and breathable without chemical additives. The StretchFlex technology provides comfort and freedom of movement, lasting recovery and great fit. 57% bamboo lyocell/38% cotton/5% spandex ladies long sleeve jersey t-shirt."

I shared these shirts with a few of my favorite bloggers, Anne (that's her in the photo above), Meghann, Gina, and Emily, who've been huge supporters of SparkPeople.

Within a day of receiving them, they were all wearing them, and I keep getting tweets, texts, and emails: "This shirt is so soft!" "I love it!" "I don't want to take it off!"

Me neither! (Did I mention they're on sale for $23.99?)

I have one in "currant" (magenta), and I wear it at least once a week (as evidenced here). Thin enough to layer under another shirt, and thick enough to keep a chill off your skin, I like this shirt so much that I refuse to wear it as a workout shirt. It's my go-to travel shirt, and I wear it to the office, too. (Tip: Spread the Spark by wearing a SparkPeople shirt when you travel. People always ask me about SparkPeople when I wear it. I also have SparkPeople key chains on my luggage and laptop bag.)

So why am I sharing this with you today? Well, because starting today and running through Saturday, Dec. 4, the SparkPeople Store is offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more! (Guess who's going shopping as soon as she clicks "publish"!)

Read More ›

Want to Be Happier? Stay Focused--and Try Yoga

Once upon a time I knew a guy from New Zealand who was teaching English in Korea to save money to move to Australia and study energy healing. He was vegetarian. He had a peaceful soul. He seemed to radiate an almost tangible calmness.

I was battling anxiety, enjoying my youth, and indulging my every whim. I was miserable. I was constantly on edge. I had panic attacks regularly, drank too much alcohol and caffeine, and though I was losing weight and working out, I wasn’t the picture of health that I am today.

How the two of us ever crossed paths, I’ll never know.

One day, he held me. (Forgive me for venturing into the personal side, dear readers, but I promise it's germane to the story.) I was exhausted. I was defeated. For the first time in a very long time, a feeling of calm washed over me. I fought it at first, but I gave in. I stood still, my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and the rhythm of his breath. My own pulse and breath slowed. I felt every muscle relax.

The last time I saw Gareth, it was across a crowded room the night that I left Korea for good. I’m told that, much later that night, he stopped by my going-away party, only to find that I’d already left for the airport. I never got to say goodbye, or thank you.

In January 2008, I wrote him:

"…you had an effect on me, and I wanted you to know that. I was terribly lost in Korea, in the middle of a quarterlife crisis and a serious depression. With you, for brief moments, I felt peace and calm. I've emerged, stronger and healthier than ever. I start yoga teacher training in March, I'm now a fitness and nutrition writer for a health website, and I went vegetarian two years ago. I'm living in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I'm currently staring out at about six inches of snow and ice, though my mind keeps drifting farther east, to the land of the morning calm."

He never wrote back, though I later heard he did head back to Australia to study the healing arts.

People enter your life for reasons unbeknownst to you. I believe he entered mine to encourage me to seek a solution to my anxiety. Before then, I felt powerless against my anxiety. When crossing Seoul, I had to get off crowded trains and flee to the restroom to catch my breath and let the panic subside. I found myself paralyzed by fear and indecision, and I wished away precious moments. I needed prescription anti-anxiety medication.

How did my life change? I wish I had a simple answer to share with you. I can say for sure that three things profoundly changed my life:

1. Practicing yoga
2. Eliminating and reducing stress by living in the moment
3. Committing myself to a regimen of regular exercise and healthy eating.

These days, I live in the moment. I teach yoga, and my students tell me that I instill in them a sense of peace, which is a precious gift. I am healed, and life feels like a gift.

Last Friday, Coach Nicole and Coach Jen each shared a link with me that bolstered my confidence in that list.

Read More ›

8 Ways to Trim the Fat (and Extra Calories) from Thanksgiving Dinner

Let's face it: Thanksgiving is a day that, for most of us, focuses on food. You'll probably eat more than usual. I know I will. But, the in the words of my friend and fellow blogger ~INDYGIRL, "one slice of pizza is always going to have fewer calories than 2 slices of pizza." One trip to the Thanksgiving buffet table is going to have fewer calories than two. Two slices of pie will have fewer calories than three.

According to the Caloric Control Council, the average American eats more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving day. That's more than twice the number of calories most of us should eat in an entire day, and enough dietary fat for more than three days!

The overload doesn't just come at the dinner table. Most of us start with a festive breakfast, nibble on snacks while waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven, squeeze in a second helping and sneak into the kitchen for late-night turkey sandwiches.

First let's look at an "average" Thanksgiving day, then I'll share some tips that will allow you to indulge in all your favorites but keep you from feeling so awful and bloated after the meal.

Read More ›

Breaking Bread at the FoodBuzz Festival

One of the only downsides of working for a website is that we don't get much face time with our members and colleagues. I do, however, get to spend a great deal of time with the talented and generous team that keeps SparkPeople running smoothly, so I really can't complain. But the thing is, everyone here already knows what we do and why we do it. When I get to step outside the office and "Spread the Spark," it's a real treat.

I had just such an opportunity in early November. I attended the second-annual blogger festival hosted by FoodBuzz. Over the course of the long weekend, I ate wonderful food, walked miles and miles around San Francisco, and met bloggers (and SparkPeople fans) whom I'd only known online. It was almost as fun as our SparkPeople Convention last fall!

I learned about food photography (mostly I learned just how much I have to learn), stretched my mind during a writing workshop, and picked up plenty of tips from other bloggers and chefs.

This weekend wasn't about healthy living, it wasn't about dieting or working out, and it certainly wasn't about deprivation. It was about celebrating food, something that I've really only been able to do for a few years without guilt.

For too many years, food was something to fear. It was only calories and fat, which equated to pounds. Food no longer holds that control over me, and I love to eat. I love to cook. I love to talk about food, shop for food, take photos of food, write about food, and read about food.

That weekend, my schedules and healthy habits were rearranged by time changes and social events. I didn't stress out. I didn't even think about it. I lived in the moment, ate when I was hungry, and abstained when I wasn't. There are no food "confessions" and no complaints.

What struck me most about the events of the weekend was the diversity of the attendees: dietitians, endurance athletes, and daily food journalers; home cooks, top chefs, and restaurant insiders; fans of home cooking, kitschy baked goods, and molecular gastronomy. Everyone was there to celebrate food with all the senses.

I want to share with you a few of the bloggers I met, along with their stories. Many of them are not healthy living bloggers, but they are talented writers, photographers, and storytellers. You might be interested in reading and viewing their work. I know they inspire me, even those who don't necessarily eat the same way I do.

Then again, with more than 9 million SparkPeople members, there is a good chance that you'll find culinary inspiration that suits your lifestyle.

Read More ›

Veg-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes

Editor's Note: Did you know that SparkPeople was home to almost 250,000 vegetarians and vegans? It's true. In addition, 4% of Americans are either vegetarian or vegan, according to a Vegetarian Times survey, and up to 10% of Americans follow a partially vegetarian diet. That said, this Thanksgiving, we wanted to highlight some vegetarian recipes.

(Have you tried Chef Meg's new, healthy Thanksgiving recipes? Find them here.)

I reached out to my friend and fellow blogger, Angela, for some vegetarian and vegan recipes that would have mouths watering!

Read More ›

Survey: Kashi Wants to Know What You Know about Protein

Both Kashi and the dailySpark understand that no one beats the creative smarts of Mother Nature when it comes to designing food – especially when it comes to creating delicious and nutritious breakfast combinations of protein, fiber and whole grains, plus plenty of fruits and vegetables. That said, we want to know what you think about protein (at breakfast, as well as in your overall diet) so that we can further educate people on the options available to them while on their journey to achieving optimal health and a balanced diet. Please take this brief survey and let us know what you’re eating and why!

Read More ›

Pumpkin: Fresh vs. Canned

This time of year, pumpkins are aplenty. In lattes, breads, bagels, and even cream cheese, that globular orange squash makes an appearance. As soon as the first cool wind blows away the memories of summer, people race to the supermarkets for cans of pumpkin purée and hit the pumpkin patch for the real deal. In many homes, the fresh pumpkins are relegated to decoration, but not in mine.

Despite the extra work, I usually prefer the taste of fresh over canned pumpkin. Each fall, I buy a few sugar pumpkins and roast, purée and cook down the flesh to use throughout the winter. (Note: With squash--and that goes for pumpkins, zucchini, and others--bigger doesn't mean better. The larger most squash get, the less flavor and more stringy fiber they have. Large pumpkins are great for winning state fair ribbons and decorating your front porch; small sugar or pie variety pumpkins are the ones you want to eat.)

Sometimes I do reach for canned, but that's not always possible, as pumpkin lovers learned last year during a nationwide shortage.

To save yourself time and energy, reach for canned, but if you're interested in learning how to process fresh pumpkin--and where it really makes a difference, read on.

Read More ›

Help for a Healthy Halloween

Halloween can be a healthy eater's nightmare! Candy everywhere you turn? Buckets of sweet treats at your disposal? That's enough to torture even the healthiest of eaters--and if you're trying to lose weight, Halloween is probably not your favorite holiday. Never fear! We've rounded up our best Halloween stories, recipes, and tips to help you scare away temptation and stick to your healthy eating plan.

No Tricks! Just Healthier Halloween Treats!

Our Best Halloween Party Recipes

11 Halloween Treats Under 100 Calories

Halloween Party Recipes for Kids

Read More ›

CONTEST CLOSED: Win 1 of 3 Flatout Bread Prize Packs

The folks at Flatout like to say their low-fat, whole-grain, fiber-filled wraps are "better than sliced bread." Here's your chance to find out! They're giving away three prize packs containing the following:

• 4 packages of EdgeOn Crisps – Garlic Herb, Four Cheese, Sea Salt and Multigrain
• 3 packages of FOLDit – Traditional Country, 5 Grain Flax and Rosemary & Olive Oil
• 2 packages of Flatout wraps – Light Original and Multi-Grain
• 1 Flatout tote bag, spatula and cutting board with recipe booklet

Want to enter to win?

Read More ›

Going Nuts for Flavored Nut Butters

Every day in elementary school, my mom packed my sister and me the same lunch: PBJ (always with natural peanut butter and Gramma's homemade jams on wheat bread), a pouch of real juice, a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks, and a granola bar or a fruit roll-up. I never tired of it, but around age 7, I did decide that I needed to be independent. I wanted whatever my sister didn't have. I announced to my mother, as she handed me my lunch, that I no longer ate grape jelly. I would henceforth require only strawberry jam on my sandwiches, please and thank you, mother. My sister could keep the grape jam, and strawberry would be mine and mine alone, (I embellish the dialogue only slightly. Ever the precocious child, I was a cross between Eloise and Fancy Nancy. I almost flunked gym class in first grade because I refused to wear sneakers, and I took pride in telling people I never wore pants the entire year of kindergarten. I digress…)

Suddenly, my boring old sandwich was new again. Strawberry jam was so much better than icky grape, and 22 years later, I don't think I've eaten grape jelly since then.

In junior high, my beloved PBJ fell out of favor when I decided that skipping lunch was the cool thing to do. (All those raging teenage hormones, plus low blood sugar, equaled one cranky Stepfanie. Not my smartest move.)

Then came college and my first apartment. I was strapped for cash and time. A PBJ was a quick dinner, so I thought. Later that night, I was sick, bent over with horrible stomach pains. I blamed stress. Eventually, a doctor diagnosed me with a peanut intolerance (so thankfully no life-threatening symptoms), and, separately, a cashew allergy.

In addition to losing my PBJs, I could no longer eat mixed nuts, pad Thai, several kinds of curries, and the world's best flavor combination: chocolate and peanut butter. (Now if only we could get airplanes to stop serving peanuts. I always end up with a migraine after flights when they serve peanuts.)

Then along came a nut (a drupe, really) that made me forget peanut butter ever existed. The almond.

Why am I sharing this story with you today? I'm sharing this story because almond butter is expensive, and fancy nut butters are all the rage. And I have the recipes to prove it.

Read More ›

Member Featured on Today's Joy Fit Club

If you tuned in to the fourth hour of the Today show on Monday, you might have seen a familiar face on screen next to hosts Hoda and Kathie Lee and resident nutrition expert Joy Bauer. Renay Stafford, aka SPASTIC5466, shared her story and became a member of the "Joy Fit Club"!

Over 3 1/2 years, 4'11" Renay went from 275 pounds to 130 pounds. So how did she do it? She told Joy that "The Biggest Loser" was what originally inspired her and kept her going when times were tough. In addition to kicking her fast-food habit, she started exercising, and she joined SparkPeople, where she found the support she needs to help her maintain her weight.

Joy explained some of the easy swaps that helped Renay:

• fatty pepper steak with white rice (1,100 calories and 42 g fat) for a homemade version with sauteed peppers and onions, lean steak and a half cup of brown rice (565 calories, 21 g fat)
   
• veggie burgers and oven-roasted sweet potatoes instead of burgers and fries

Click here to watch Renay's story now! (Check out our interview with the one and only Joy Bauer here.)

Renay thanked her husband--and her "great group of girls on SparkPeople.com"! Congratulations to Renay on losing the weight and keeping it off. To be featured on the "Joy Fit Club" is quite an honor!

Monday was a great day for another SparkPeople member. Dana McKeen (better known as ZIRCADIA) was featured on the Woman's Day website, as part of "Real Weight-Loss Stories: I Kept the Pounds Off." She lost 110 pounds and has kept it off for 2 1/2 years.

Plus, Marie Claire named us one of the 7 Best Websites for Weight Loss.

And member Bridgit Torbett was featured on AOL's Style List. Read her story, Makeover Diaries: From Unhappily Married to Free, Fit and Fine, here.

As SparkGuy would say, "Woo-hoo!"

Did you read (or watch) any of these success stories? Did they inspire you? Did you pick up any tips?

Read More ›

CONTEST CLOSED: Win 1 of 3 Headbands from Bondi Band

A few weeks ago, I shared with you some of my favorite yoga resources and accessories, and among them, Bondi Bands. I first heard about Bondi Bands on one of my favorite healthy living blogs, Healthy Tipping Point.

I bought two at the Cincinnati Flying Pig expo before my first half marathon, and I wore my special Flying Pig-themed band during the race. I loved it--despite rain and lots of sweat, I never had any sweat or hair in my eyes!

Bondi Band has sent three solid-colored headbands to give away to readers. Between now and Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at 6 p.m. EST, you can enter to win your own.

Read More ›

Do You Live (and Love) Your Life 7 Days a Week?

"2 hours down, 6 to go until quittin' time."

"I can't wait for the weekend. Could Friday hurry up and get here?"

"Staring at the clock, waiting for the weekend."

Without a doubt, most of us are working for the weekend. We're all guilty of clock-watching at least some days, and we've all wished that days would speed by. But if you're constantly miserable during the week and only living for the weekend, have you ever considered how much life you're missing?

Consider this:

The average American lives to 78.4, according to the World Bank. We spend, let's say, 17 years in school, then about 45 years working.

That leaves about 16 years where we're presumably free to do as we please seven days a week, and for many of us, those years come when we're either too young or too old to appreciate them. (Though I'm a firm believer in age just being a number!)

Those years of five days a week spent working and in school represent about 56% of our total days on Earth. Do you really want to wish more than half of your life away?

I challenge you to find joy in the mundane activities of daily life. Seek pleasure every weekday. Spread happiness an extra five days a week, in addition to anticipating your fun-filled weekends.

Read More ›

Break the Strings and Move Freely in the World

For three generations, women in my family have had low back problems that required surgery. My great-grandmother and grandmother each suffered a herniated disc; my mom has degenerative disc disease, which has led to four surgeries and years of debilitating pain. Needless to say, when--at age 23--I developed excruciating pain in my low back, I thought it was my fate.

I went to my general practitioner, who also specialized in sports medicine. I explained my family history and described my symptoms. He seemed less interested in the family history than in my lifestyle.

My weight had started to increase slightly, from 143 at age 20 to about 160 three years later. I worked second shift five nights a week as a newspaper copy editor. I loved my job, but I often slept until noon and stayed up until 4 a.m. I had joined a gym but was usually too tired to go. I honestly expected the doctor to tell me that I had ruptured a disc or would require surgery. Instead, he prescribed physical therapy and told me that the primary cause of my pain was a weak core. Essentially, he sent me to Pilates reformer training to build up strength. He subtly hinted that more exercise could help me. Though I didn't take the doctor's advice to heart, it did plant a seed.

Back then, I moved at two angles through life: 90 degrees and 180 degrees. I lay down in bed all night; sat on the couch, at a table, or in a car all day; and at a desk all evening. Bending over to tie my shoes or occasionally stretching were the only times I moved in unexpected ways.

Read More ›

High Fructose Corn Syrup Soon May Be 'Corn Sugar'

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
--Shakespeare

High fructose corn syrup, that ubiquitous refined sweetener found in everything from jams and sodas to breads and tomato sauce, has taken quite a beating in the last couple of years. Documentaries such as King Corn vilified the ingredient. Conscientious consumers started reading labels and asking for less refined sweeteners. Companies such as Gatorade, Hunt's ketchup and Thomas English muffins publicly removed the ingredient from its products. ("Now with no high fructose corn syrup" boast packages in every aisle of the supermarket.) And the industry took note.

First came the "Sweet Surprise," a $20-$30 million campaign by the Corn Refiners Association to boost the reputation of HFCS. (Watch the ads here.) Now, the Corn Refiners Association has decided to petition the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow for a name change. High fructose corn syrup would be known as called corn sugar, if the industry gets its way.

According to SparkPeople dietitian Becky Hand, "theories abound that HFCS has a greater impact on blood glucose levels than regular sugar (sucrose). However, research has shown that there are no significant differences between HFCS and sugar (sucrose) when it comes to the production of insulin, leptin (a hormone that regulates body weight and metabolism), ghrelin (the "hunger" hormone), or the changes in blood glucose levels. In addition, satiety studies done on HFCS and sugar (sucrose) have found no difference in appetite regulation, feelings of fullness, or short-term energy intake." (Read more about HFCS and its effects on the body here.)

Still, SparkPeople members and the general public have qualms about consuming it.

Read More ›