Update from SparkGuy: What People Are Saying about 'The Spark'

Many of you are anticipating the arrival of SparkPeople's first book, The Spark. Here's a special message and book update from SparkPeople founder and CEO, Chris "SparkGuy" Downie!

Hello, SparkPeople!

I'm writing with some exciting updates on our upcoming book, The Spark!

First, we are incredibly excited that The Spark will be carried by many of the top retailers—both bookstores and general retailers. Our book agent said that The Spark has become one of the most anticipated books for 2010! Here are some of the retailers that have committed to sell The Spark starting December 29:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble (and BN.com)
• Costco
• Sam's Club
• Walmart (and Walmart.com, where we're currently the #1 preorder!)
• Several international retailers

This list and the overall quantity of orders are amazing considering that this is our first book. Our publisher even had to do a second print run before the book even launches because of all the pre-orders we've received! Can I get a "Woohoo?"

Part of the reason for this anticipation and success is that our members have pre-ordered so many books. This is a top reason that retailers vastly increased the size of their orders. We're now in position to turn The Spark into an instant bestseller. From all of us at SparkPeople, we want to thank everyone who has pre-ordered the book so far. Even though I'm listed as the author, I consider this book something that we've all worked on together--both our team and all of our members. I'll continue to share updates so that everyone can be part of this adventure!

Here's another update that is just as exciting.

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Send Your Excess Baggage Packing

By Drew Newbold
aka TubbyHubby340

This is your captain speaking. This blog will be cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet. Skies are sunny, and we should be reaching our destination right on schedule. Once the seat belt signs are off, please feel free to move about the cabin and the flight attendants will be coming by to get your drink orders soon. So sit back, relax, have a pleasant read, and thank you for flying with the dailySpark.

Ahhhh, travel. Some people prefer planes, others trains; the wife and I just love a good road trip. No matter what your preferred mode of transit, great trips start with two simple steps I like to refer to as the yin and yang of travel. Planning and packing. How well you plan and what you pack, can make the difference between time well spent or a hellish nightmare. The kind of nightmare that would make any sane person give up on the idea of travel all together.

Planning may have the most impact on the success or failure of a trip, but packing the right things is crucial. Flip flops and a two piece will not bode well in the bone-chilling weather of the Alaskan Wilderness. Conversely, a fur-lined parka and snowshoes may be a tad out of place on the big island of Hawaii. Taking the right things is really a no brainer as long as common sense is employed. It’s the things you don't take with you that sometimes make the difference between a great trip and one that’s hindered by superfluous baggage. Here’s an example.

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7 Tips for Healthy Meal Planning

By Debi Silber, MS, RD, WHC, the Mojo Coach

Think healthy meal planning needs to be difficult and time consuming? Use even a few of these tips and enjoy the extra time you’ll discover as a result.

1. Use a slow cooker: These are a busy person’s dream. Simply set everything up in the morning and enjoy a warm, home cooked meal when you’re through with your busy day. Slow cookers are also a great way to cook less expensive, lower fat cuts of meat without drying them out. 

   Posted 11/19/2009  12:00:00 PM By:   : 49 comments   28,145 views

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Get Chef Meg's Latest Cookbook: A 500-Calorie Thanksgiving

by Chef Meg, World Master Chef and SparkRecipes Healthy Cooking Expert

Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and, of course, food. The typical holiday meal can have more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, according to the Caloric Control Council. That's almost three days worth of food for most of us! Butter, cream and white bread seem to be lurking in almost every dish, and the meal never seems to end.

For those of us who are trying lead healthier lifestyles, moderation and healthy eating are just as important on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, it is possible to eat right and still enjoy yourself on Turkey Day!

To help, I created brand new SparkRecipes for a three-course Thanksgiving meal that clock in around 500 calories! (Dessert, not included in that number, will add 150 calories or fewer, if you have room for it.)

This SparkPeople meal has 510 fewer calories and 39 fewer grams of fat than a traditional feast! These recipes include a veggie-rich soup to start your meal off right, the juiciest turkey you'll ever taste, several sides, two desserts, plus a cranberry relish that will leave the store-bought jelly quivering in its can.

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I Get By with A Little Help from My Snacks

by SparkPeople member Kristina, aka KARVY09

Since the beginning of 2009, I've lost 52 pounds, 45 of those on SparkPeople in the last 5 months. I credit many people in my life for helping me get this far, including my awesome husband and friends, and my incredible friends on SparkPeople. (Man, does this sound like an acceptance speech or what?)

I also got a lot of help from some awesome snack foods along the way...

Yes, snack food.

There are some foods that I do not think I would have gotten this far without, and for that reason, I just have to pay tribute to my Top Five in blog form to give them the recognition that they deserve. So here they are, in no particular order.

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Can You Be Both Overweight and Malnourished?

By Suzanne W. Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, the scientific adviser for www.AppleBoost.com

It sounds contradictory, but a significant number of people in the United States today are simultaneously under- and overnourished. How can that be? If you’re significantly overweight, surely you can’t be malnourished, right?

As a former overweight person myself, a registered dietitian who has worked with many people on weight loss issues, and someone who studies the science of body weight regulation, I know firsthand that it's all too easy to be both overweight and malnourished.

The key to understanding this paradox is to understand the difference between macro- and micronutrients. Macronutrients provide the body with energy in the form of calories. Think carbohydrate, protein, and fat. There’s also alcohol, which isn’t an ideal source of calories, but which provides them nonetheless. Being a fan of a nightly glass of wine or a beer, I'd be remiss if I didn’t mention that alcohol provides calories!

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New Mom Using Blog to Lose 100 Pounds*

Stacy Woltmann is a 30-year-old "parental engineer" (aka stay-at-home mom) from Tampa, Fla. Before she got pregnant with her daughter, Amelia, she joined SparkPeople. Though she successfully lost 40 pounds, pregnancy and the (happy) stresses of new motherhood, led her to gain weight. Back in August, she decided to do something about her weight--then over 400 pounds. She has already lost almost 20 pounds, which is on track with her goal of two pounds a week for a year--for a weight loss of 100 pounds.

This time around, Stacy has added another tool to her weight-loss arsenal. In addition to logging on to SparkPeople (as STACYPIE79), she is blogging about her efforts, after being inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia." Her blog, amskinnyjeans.blogspot.com, even landed her a segment on Good Morning America! (Watch the clip here.)

We asked Stacy to share her story with the dailySpark. Read on to find out how this mom is staying on track and holding herself accountable.

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Watch 11 New Videos from Chef Meg

It's Chef Meg from SparkRecipes.

It was great to connect with members at the Spark Your Life Convention back in September. We heard wonderful feedback about the recipes I've been creating, and we hope to continue to bring you flavorful, tasty recipes that you and your family will enjoy.

I've been hard at work on some new recipes and features for SparkRecipes.com. Not only do we post new recipes each week (both my original recipes and reader makeovers), but we've also been creating new videos. We taped a third round of videos two weeks ago--about a dozen more--that we'll unveil soon. Plus, we've been working on all sorts of holiday-themed healthy cooking recipes. From lightening your favorite cookies to saving money on the Thanksgiving turkey, we've got a lot in store for you in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, I'm writing a quick blog post to let you know we've just added 11 new cooking videos to the site--five recipes and six quick kitchen tips!

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Founder of Turbo Jam Shares Her Top 5 Strength Exercises

Chalene Johnson is no stranger to fitness. She taught her first aerobics class at 18 and eventually created the wildly popular Turbo Jam®, Turbo Kick®, PiYo™, Turbo Jam®, Hip Hop Hustle™ and ChaLEAN Extreme® workouts.

She and Turbo Jam are sponsoring a contest that runs until Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, at 9 a.m. EST. To enter, you need to click here to join the special SparkPeople/TurboKick.com Fitness Story Contest SparkTeam created especially for this challenge. Then blog about how you came to embrace fitness on your SparkPage, and share a link to your blog on the Message Board. (Visit the Team for official rules!) Chalene and SparkPeople will choose three winners after Oct. 27.

Today Chalene is sharing her top 5 strength training exercises.

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One of Our Fittest Team Leaders Dishes to the dailySpark

Each month, SparkPeople chooses an outstanding SparkTeam leader or leaders puts in the extra effort to support his or her Team and the SparkPeople Community. This month, we chose ROBERTBFIT and PAULAB_CPT, Leaders of SouthBay/Beach Cities SparkTeam.

Here are just a few reasons why Robert and Paula were selected to receive this award:

In addition to organizing bi-weekly meetings, creating monthly challenges and doing other Team activities with the help of their co-leaders, Robert and Paula helped plan and execute the Los Angeles SparkRally over the summer which was featured on Entertainment Tonight.

SparkGuy had this to say about Paula and Robert: "They are what SparkPeople is all about! They truly enjoy helping all types of people reach their goals--from beginners to experts. It was so much fun to join them for a SparkRally in LA. They've worked hard one person at a time to start something special for this local team. We really appreciate their help in putting on a great event when Entertainment Tonight showed up to film a story about SparkPeople. "

"They did a lot of prework: setting the location, organizing volunteers, creating the agenda, making banners, leading a great group fitness class for everyone (for free... which they also do either every week or every month at the same location for anyone who shows up). It was especially important that this event went well because of ET. We really couldn’t have done it without them," said Grant, from SP's PR Team.

Today the dailySpark is sharing an interview with Paula:

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The Dangers of Letting Kids Specialize in Just One Sport

This spring, we interviewed Dave Ellis, one of the country's foremost sports nutritionists. Now, Ellis is sharing with us a hot topic in youth sports: the dangers of early specialization.

As a coach, I work with kids along the continuum. My own kids have been through the USA Hockey ranks on their way up. My oldest is going into college, my middle one is 14 and my youngest is 10, and I've been able to coach them and others along the way and so even though I get to work at the high end of sports, I get to experience the grass roots level through my own kids.

There's a real grass-roots efforts afoot right now to de-emphasize early specialization and winning in sports and in turn focus on long-term athletic development and the process behind that as it's relevant to the stages of maturation.

There's been a lot of great science out there for years from people who specialize in cognitive and physical development who've been watching athletes burn out at young ages when there was a greater genetic window there for them to perform longer.

They've watched large pools of athletes yield very mediocre potential instead of high-end talent. As they backtrack on all those maladies, they've really come up with some realizations that youth sports across the spectrum need to get their heads on straight.

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The True Story Behind the Turbo Jam Workouts (Plus a Contest)

Fitness expert Chalene Johnson is best known for creating the Turbo Jam workouts and the best-selling DVDs of the same name. Her workouts are intense and upbeat--just like she is. Chalene reached out the dailySpark and offered to write a guest blog post--and sponsor a contest for all of you. We knew how many members are keen on Chalene--there's even a Turbo Jammers SparkTeam--so we jumped at the opportunity!

Read Chalene's story, then get details about the contest!

By Chalene Johnson

I’m ecstatic to be writing for the dailySpark. Let me tell you a bit about myself.

I was born and raised in Michigan, the eldest of three children. Most of my relatives struggled with their weight. I remember as a kid thinking I was destined to be "chubby" or worried that as an adult I would be on the endless rollercoaster of fad diets many of the adult women in my family seemed to be riding.

A life-changing experience happened when my mother, Marge, started taking Jazzercise aerobics classes. Eventually she became a Jazzercise instructor. I remember her being so fit, healthy and happy. I remember how excited the other participants were to see each other and work out with her. Seeing her lose weight, eat healthy and help so many while doing something she loved influenced my life’s journey. Just teens ourselves, my younger sister Jenelle and I would accompany our mom to all of her classes. We were surrounded by music and dance and saw firsthand that exercise could be something enjoyable. Then at 18, I taught my first aerobics class!

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4 Ways to Tell if Dietary Supplements are Safe and Right for You

By Dr. Christopher R. Mohr, R.D., PhD

There are more than 29,000 dietary supplements on the market today. It’s a multibillion dollar market.

But how do you know what’s in your supplements? How do you know if they're effective? And, most importantly, how do you know if they're safe?

With so many people interested in taking dietary supplements and so many out there, first you need to do your homework. Putting your trust in an ad or infomercial is clearly not the best way to find out what's right for you. Instead, use these four strategies to cut through the hype.

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Celebrity Trainer Shares His Top 3 Bun Shaping Moves

by Celebrity Fitness Trainer David Kirsch
Ladies, start your lunges! While you may have packed away your bikini, it’s not over for your hips, thighs and butt. It’s jeans season -- skinny jeans season -- that is, and time to get your lower half looking sexy and sensational!

For the past 20 years, I’ve been sculpting some of the best butts in the business. Heidi Klum, Liv Tyler, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Karolina Kurkova, Kerry Washington, Kim Raver, Anne Hathaway and Ellen Barkin have all trusted me to get their bottoms pert and perky.

Their runway-ready secrets to a firmly sculpted lower half, are in my latest book: "David Kirsch’s Butt Book." Now, they’re here for you.

Here are three moves for eliminating the jiggle. You can do them anytime, anywhere and without equipment. Do 15-20 reps without stopping and 2-3 sets.

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How to Disinfect Your Home -- Naturally

Simon and Schuster author Ellen Sandback shared this guest blog post, an elegant and simple solution to killing bacteria in your home, from her book, Green Housekeeping .


Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, contaminated fruits and vegetables with salmonella, shigella, or E. Coli bacteria, then sprayed the produce with hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, or both. Hydrogen peroxide was one hundred times as effective as vinegar, but vinegar and hydrogen peroxide worked together to kill ten times as many bacteria as were killed by peroxide alone.

This is a very elegant and simple solution to a vexing problem. The bacteria are not just moved around to cause trouble elsewhere; they are—to paraphrase from the movie The Wizard of Oz—not just merely dead, they are really, most sincerely, dead.

Implementing a Domestic Spray Program
I have been using this dual spray system for years, and frankly, it couldn’t be easier.

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